Chapter Eleven

Eleven

Renee was the only one not stiff and sore as she followed the slow-moving team into the facility, one of her hands cupped under Mikail’s elbow, the other touching her pocket and the USB holding Mikail’s attack. August was at Mikail’s other side doing the actual supporting of the increasingly amazed battered mer.

Most of Jackson’s team had peeled off to find the commissary, their comradery a pleasant backdrop and completely at odds with Jackson’s closed mood as he stomped along beside her. Apparently Jackson had pulled strings he shouldn’t have to get to the lab so fast, meaning what should have been a quiet acquisition had turned into an effort needing the entire installation’s resources. By the time they landed, everyone knew what had happened, and she tried to return the smiles and thumbs-ups.

But she couldn’t find it in herself to mean it when Monroe smirked knowingly at her as his cuffs were removed and he and Tayler were escorted to another part of the installation by four MPs and a worried-looking Vaughn. “To be treated and held,” Jackson had said, but even Tayler seemed confident that things would fall her way. He is a lieutenant general, she thought, hating that the law only applied to those without the money or clout to bend it.

“Renee, you should get yourself to medical, too,” Jackson said as they got closer to the embassy and the first jubilant whistles and clicks began sounding.

“I’m fine,” she said, not wanting to leave Mikail.

The man turned to face her, clearly tired in his combat gear and needing a shower, the coming demand almost visible on his lips.

“Stop right there,” she said. “Don’t give me any orders. It will only make you angry when I ignore them.” She glanced at Mikail between her and August, the huge mer’s eyes shifting to gold as he saw the mix of humans and Neighbors waiting for him in the old observation lounge—all of them clapping or clicking their wing knuckles together.

“Just…don’t make any promises,” Jackson said. “Or a scene. Can you do that? Will you trust me to handle this?”

“Jackson, I always trust you,” she said, but she wasn’t sure she meant it, and she picked up the pace as Mikail strode forward, eager to return to his kin. The scarred mer had an odd mix of wary familiarity with some things and awed shock at others. It was clear he didn’t trust humans, but he could understand a lot of what was being said even as he could not talk. He had watched everything with his wide, nictitating eyes as the group flew back to the installation. He and August had kept up a nonstop chatter that had made her smile, and she would have given a lot to know what they were talking about.

Her smile faded as they reached the embassy and the doors were opened by a human in full dress uniform, and a Neighbor in the same. I hope it was about the trees and birds and not the sign-toting protesters at the installation’s gate.

Whistles and clicks washed over them, and her arm slipped away as his kin pulled him into their midst and swamped him. Buffeted, she retreated to the outskirts, her back against the window to the courtyard. The light on the portal desk was glowing red, meaning someone was coming, and Renee figured it was Noel.

Sure enough, Noel stepped from the black line of nothing, quickly followed by several Neighbors in security black. Wings high, she strode forward, a way opening at her whistles and clicks until she wrapped her wings about the much larger mer and whistled triumphantly. Her eyes were golden, and Renee felt her own eyes warm with unshed tears. It had been worth it—even if Jackson yelled at her.

But seeing Noel in her bright red sari-like ribbon dress, Renee fingered her chopped hair and wished she was in something other than jeans and a dark blue tee.

“No one recognizes you,” August said, and she smiled up at him, wondering why he hadn’t gone with the rest. Jackson, too, had lingered here out of the way. “If they did, they would tell you they’re glad you are alive, too.”

“This is fine,” she said with a sigh as her fingers found August’s oddly shaped hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t know what I would have done if Monroe had gotten away with you.”

August looked at his hand as she let it go. “Finger squeeze means good friend?”

She couldn’t look away from Mikail, the mer jubilant as his kin knocked knuckles with him and swamped him with food. “Mmmmhm,” she murmured.

And then she jerked, startled when August took her hand in his again, smiling as he lifted it to his chest and formally squeezed it.

“All right, all right,” Jackson muttered. “We all like Renee. Let’s see if we can keep her out of jail.”

“Seriously?” Good mood broken, Renee pulled her hand from August’s, her smile fading when she followed Jackson’s gaze to Noel and Mikail. Their conversation had become agitated, and Noel’s security had made a ring, pushing back people and Neighbors alike to give them space.

“Perhaps we should…” Jackson gestured for them to move forward, and Renee nodded. She felt small between them, nervous as a way opened until they stood before the two, still arguing.

“Madam Noel,” Jackson said as Noel met August’s presented hand, and the agitated jin offered her hand to him in turn.

“Noel,” Renee added, surprised when Noel’s hand went high, as if meeting someone new.

August whistle-clicked, and Noel seemed to start, her eyes nictitating as she looked closer at Renee, a red hue coloring her wings as she took Renee’s hand in hers to bring them together, low, as if good friends.

“Much sorryness,” Noel said, rosy wings tightening about her shoulders. “Not recognize you. Hair is short.”

“Dr. Tayler cut it so I’d look like her,” Renee said, even as Mikail began whistle-clicking again, clearly agitated as he touched his shoulder and then showed her his shaking hands.

But as it went on far longer than a simple explanation, Jackson frowned. “Ah, August?” he prompted.

“I got a bad feeling about this,” Renee whispered as Noel made a subtle motion and the security she’d brought began pushing the well-wishers even farther away. “Perhaps we should find an empty office. Where’s Will?”

Jackson winced. “The brig. I should probably have someone get him out.”

August’s whistle-clicked words competing with Mikail’s were silenced. Again August tried to get a click in edgewise, and was again cut short. Wing hem curled, he tried a third time only to be silenced again by Noel’s knuckle crack. Her wings were curling in around her, and she jumped when Mikail took her hand and touched it to his chest. His wing knuckles were higher than hers. He was angry.

“August?” Jackson prompted when Noel began whistling back.

“Ah.” August’s foot gripped the bottom of his wing in nervousness. “Mikail says Renee used his creation spark to heal herself and the scratches on his hand. Like a Pier would do. I think he is confused. Noel thinks he is confused. Mikail disagrees.”

Oh, shit. Renee touched her pocket where that USB drive lay hidden. If Noel knew she could use creation energy, no telling what they’d want from her. Poke and prod, if nothing else.

Jackson’s eyebrows rose. “You can do that?” he said, and Renee shook her head. “Can you snap?”

Mikail and Noel went abruptly silent at the question, and Renee felt the jin’s attention land hard on her. “Good, grief, no,” Renee said shortly. “I can’t use Neighbors’ body technology. Are you nuts?” Shit, shit, shit! If Noel even guessed what had happened, Renee would go from working on the project to being the project.

Mikail clearly understood the word no , as he began to whistle and click, his scratched hands held out in explanation. They were shaking, and Noel took them in her own, her motions gentle as she turned them from side to side to carefully inspect the gouges.

“Thay-ler,” Mikail said, clearly struggling. “Noth Ree-nay. Thay-ler.”

Again Noel spoke, her wings curving around him as she reassured him until she turned to Renee and Jackson. “Mikail cond…confused,” she said, and Mikail made a disparaging whistle.

Noel gestured gracefully for August to translate, and the mer seemed to slump. “Mikail says the scratches are from Tayler, not you. He says he hurt you when he thought you were Dr. Tayler. Head, throat.” August touched them in turn, his eyes nictitating briefly. “He wants me to say he’s very sorry, and he wants to know why you are not hurt now?”

Mikail’s nictitated eyes fixed on her with an eerie intensity.

Yeah, about that… Renee shifted nervously. “Um, he didn’t hurt me as much as he thought,” she said, and Jackson eyed her up and down. He knew she was lying. And he, thank God, knew enough not to say anything about it. For now… “Humans are pretty tough.”

Noel raised a long hand, stilling Mikail’s rising complaint. “I say same,” she said slowly, picking her words with care. “Mikail sure. He say you hold, chrrr , holo? Take it from Thayler.”

“A holo?” Jackson said, his eyebrows going high as Renee felt herself warm. “We’re going over all the records from Dr. Tayler’s facility right now. There was nothing from the attack.”

Noel smiled, almost getting it right. “Mikail say holo was in Thayler’s, chrrr , ribbon fold. Now is in Renee’s ribbon fold.”

August softly whistled, and Noel shifted her wings in impatience. “Renee’s pocket,” Noel amended. “We see holo now. Mikail not confused.”

Shit. “Um,” Renee said, rocking back a step to run into August. “Yeah. Dr. Tayler recorded the attack. She wanted to use it to drum up anti-Neighbor sentiment. I took a USB from her—”

Jackson stepped forward, a smile on him. “Which we will make available very shortly. My people will make a copy for you and supply you with the tech to look at it at your leisure.”

Noel’s outstretched hand closed and dropped. “Soon?” she questioned, wings high in annoyance.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jackson said, quickly recovering. “We’ll get you a laptop and extra batteries so you can take it Nextdoor. You will need it to view all of Dr. Tayler’s information.”

“Sorry,” Renee said, relieved. “But maybe you could take Monroe and Tayler back with you yet tonight,” she added, tensing as Jackson’s jaw clenched.

“Renee…” the man started, and Renee took his arm and pulled him aside, turning so Noel and Mikail couldn’t see her expression.

“You have to give her something, Jackson,” she whispered. “Don’t give her me.”

“What do you mean, give her you?” he questioned. “You know I can’t give her Monroe and Tayler.”

“I promised Noel,” she said flatly. “And I promised Mikail. Don’t make me a liar.”

Jackson looked over her shoulder and smiled thinly at the waiting Neighbors. “Your promise is not my problem,” he said. “I can’t give them Monroe. He’s an effing lieutenant general,” he added, forcing the words from between his teeth. “I’m flirting with a court-martial as it is. It’s a little delicate.”

“A flower is delicate. This is like a trash truck at five in the morning.” She smiled at him, her teeth practically bared. “What he authorized and what Tayler did was not delicate. They drugged August and locked me in a room with a light-blind Neighbor who thought I was the one who’d killed and tortured his friends. This isn’t delicate, and you are not making them walk away from this with nothing!”

Jackson took her arm, his grip featherlight as he leaned in and whispered, “They are already on a plane halfway to DC.”

“You let them go?” she yelped, Jackson’s hold tightening when she tried to pull away. “Are you kidding me?”

“Lower your voice,” Jackson intoned, and she yanked free. “It was deemed not safe to have them within a Neighbor’s snap range. Noel will have a chance to talk to both of them, question both of them. But I can’t hand them over to Neighbor justice, and certainly not until we figure out what happened. Now calm your ass down!”

Renee’s eyes narrowed in anger, and she jumped, startled when Mikail whistled and August returned it, the two of them falling into a long conversation before Mikail went accusingly silent.

Noel shifted her wings, inclining her head as Renee had seen them do when they played their board games and were bluffing. “I thake Mikail home,” she said, her hand pinching the large Neighbor’s wing. “He mourn for Han and Raphael, smile with kin who survive Dr. Thayler.”

My God. I think she’s lying, Renee thought even as she nodded.

“Of course.” Jackson shot Renee a look to be quiet as he held his hand out to Noel and Mikail. “Steady updrafts.”

Renee’s lip twitched. “Oh, how polite,” she muttered sarcastically.

“You’d be surprised what I know,” he muttered. “Say goodbye. Mikail is tired.”

Renee turned to Mikail, her mood shifting. “Mikail,” she said, wanting to give the battered Neighbor a hug, but he hadn’t even lifted his hand to touch hers.

“Ree-neee rromise,” he rasped, voice guttural and rough compared to August’s.

Her jaw clenched as Jackson rubbed at his eyes. “I did,” she said, grim as she vowed this was not going to end this way. “Noel, I’m sorry. Maybe I should have let Mikail kill Tayler when he had the chance.”

“Renee…” Jackson whispered.

Noel whistle-clicked, and Mikail’s eyes briefly unnictitated before he turned and let the smaller Neighbor walk him to the labyrinth. More Neighbors waited for him there, and Renee’s anger grew as they joyously took him home. Delicate, my ass.

“Be right back,” August said as he went to get a last word with them.

But Renee turned to leave, her pace fast as she headed for the doors. She was done, and she had a lot of packing to do. On their way to DC? They were gone. Both of them.

“USB, please.” Jackson was right with her, his hand out and meeting her step for step. “Give it to me, Renee, or so help me I will pin you down right here in the hallway and take it.”

“You want this, fine,” she said as she dug it out of her pocket and smacked it into his palm. “I don’t need it. I was there. I know what it shows.”

He fingered it, clearly surprised. “Thank you. I’m telling you now to let this go. Let the process work. I’m having a hard enough time keeping you from being fired as it is.”

“I didn’t want this job anyway,” she said. “Do us both a favor. Take a look at that USB and photoshop anything out that strikes you as odd before giving it to Noel.”

Jackson took her elbow and drew her to a halt in the hallway. “What do you mean odd?” he said, then started. “You used his spark to heal yourself?” he whispered. “Oh, shit. This is great!”

“No, it isn’t.” Renee took a breath and let it out. “I’m sure August won’t say anything, but don’t let Noel know.”

“August knows?”

Renee cringed. “Remember when I met him? I had that really nasty scorpion sting? His spark fixed it. Jackson, it’s not me, it’s the spark. It cleaves to us better than the Neighbors, and they aren’t going to like it.” But it didn’t matter, because she was leaving. And it hurt. She couldn’t work with people who covered up atrocities because they didn’t want anyone to know how depraved they were. Or worse, thought such actions were justified.

Jackson pulled her deeper into the corner of the hallway. “We use their body tech better than them.”

“Yes, but I suggest you don’t tell anyone, because if Noel finds out, the entire lot of them will either leave Earth, or, ah, not.”

Jackson’s head snapped up, his thoughts clearly following hers. Yes, she liked August, but there was evidence that they had been here before, and it hadn’t all been roses and song. Their world was collapsing, and desperate people did terrible things.

“Okay.” His brow furrowed as he fingered the USB. “What about Mikail? Noel seems ready to believe him. I can doctor the footage, but he was there.”

“Yeah? Well, I don’t care anymore. You let Monroe slide. He is gone. So is Tayler. Oh, and by the way? I quit.”

“Quit? You can’t quit.”

“I just did.”

“Why? Because I didn’t drag Monroe and Tayler to the labyrinth and toss them in? Renee, they have rights.”

Renee spun, her breath catching when she saw August at the end of the hall, watching. I’m going to miss you, August, she thought, and her throat tightened. “So did those twelve people Tayler tortured. So did Han and Raphael. Tayler and Monroe will never be brought to trial or stand before an oversight committee. They will be shuffled to a new installation to keep on making their Neighbor weapons. I don’t have to decide if it’s right or wrong. But I can decide not to work with people like that. Excuse me. I have to pack.”

“Renee!” Jackson yelled for her, and she flipped him off, never looking back. What the hell. They were going to fire her, anyway.