Chapter Nine

Nine

The installation seemed suspiciously empty as she and Jackson made their way to the Neighbors' embassy. Obviously everyone who could was making themselves scarce. Two guards now stood outside the entrance to what had once been the quarantine block, and Renee couldn't help her smile seeing the private in his crisp uniform and ceremonial sword beside the roan Neighbor in an elegant black and gold ribbon shirt, the pleats and folds allowing for free movement of his wings. Neither of them could speak a word of each other's language, and yet, they had their heads inches from each other, staring at the private's phone as he played a handheld game. The mer's whistles and the kid's "dude, dude, watch this" sounded beautiful together.

It was the roan who saw them first, stiffening as he made an attention-getting click to bring the private's head up. Panicked, the young man hid the phone.

"As you were, Thompson," Jackson said, then made a "greetings" gesture to the mer, getting it perfect.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the kid barked as Jackson used his badge to open the twin doors.

"Maybe we can survive this," Renee whispered as they went through, their steps sounding loud in the sun-drenched hall that circled the quarantine block.

Jackson nodded, slowing when a small movement in the courtyard drew his attention. It was August, and Renee stopped, torn. He was under the tree, touching the leaves as if they were magic bells. An image of the dissected Neighbors flashed through her, quickly followed by guilt. The guards at the end of the hall had their heads together again, giving her hope. "Ah, you know how to get a message Nextdoor?" she asked, and Jackson nodded.

"Yes. You want to stay here with August? I can see you from the quar—ah, embassy lounge. I'll text you when Noel is on her way." He hesitated. "Don't tell him, Renee. Promise me."

She nodded. She wouldn't tell him, but August was very perceptive, and it wasn't hard to put everything together. "Okay, but don't you tell her, either."

"Deal." He rocked into motion, leaving her before the twin glass doors that opened to the courtyard. "Wear something nice…" drifted softly out from over his shoulder, a sour, whispered regret. He was still in his fatigues. The private at the door was dressed sharper than him.

Renee turned to August, her fond smile fading as their eyes met. He'd clearly seen the exchange and was waiting, wing knuckles drooping behind his head. She waved at him, then yanked the glass door open, mood softening at the sound of the corner fountain and the smell of cut grass.

"You saw the large holo projection?" August asked as she wove her way closer on the paved walk.

"We never got there," she admitted. "We went to the zoo to look at the cheetahs. Big, very fast cats," she added to explain when he made a click of distress. "There aren't a lot of them left in the wild due in part to too many noisy tour groups, but their captive population is making a comeback now that we understand their needs. Once we restore their traditional ranges, we can set them free. They are a niche predator, needed to keep the herbivores from destroying the grasslands. A few generations, maybe, before we can start the real work. Right now, we're just trying to preserve as much genetic diversity as we can." God help me, I'm babbling again.

But August didn't seem to notice. "Each touches each," he said, the back of his hand held low in greeting.

Flushed, Renee returned it, her attention flicking to Jackson, clearly visible through several panes of glass as he checked in at the embassy lounge. He stood resolutely before the roan Neighbor at the multilevel, oddly shaped desk and chair they'd brought in two days ago. He had it okay, and she turned back to August.

"These are beautiful," he said, his long fingers running a delicate line down the edge of a leaf. "Each different, but all holding the same pattern."

"Like snowflakes," Renee said, looking at a leaf as if for the first time.

Again August clicked. "I don't know snowflakes."

Renee stepped onto the grass and leaned against the trunk, her eyes rising to the green canopy. "Frozen water crystals that fall as snow instead of rain." She shifted as August joined her, his steps hesitant on the cut grass. His eyes were completely nictitated from the brighter light, but he wasn't squinting like he used to. Past him, the sky was a brilliant blue, punctuated with white, puffy clouds.

"We have snowflakes," August said. "We call them…" Shrugging, he whistled. "They are made in lab. A wingling's…di-diversion?"

She smiled ruefully. "Here we use a shovel to push them off our cars and walks."

"Huh," August said, sounding almost accusing, and she turned.

"Mild disbelief?" she guessed, getting an unsure nod. "That's a good usage of that word."

In the embassy, Jackson was watching as a second, much smaller Neighbor walked the pattern to return Nextdoor with a message for Noel. It would take some time. "August, do you want a couple of leaves for your collection? We just throw them away in the fall."

August's eyes unnictitated to show a flash of gold. "Throw…away?" he said, his hand going to touch his phone in a fold of his ribbon shirt. "Should I ask Jackson for permission?"

She smiled, real this time. "No. They're like the snowflakes. We rake them up so they don't kill the grass. You're welcome to take what you want, but you might want to wait until fall, when they turn red and yellow."

August's wing knuckles clicked over his head. "You josh my leg."

"It's ‘I'm joshing you' or ‘pulling your leg.' Not both together, and no. See?" She took out her phone and did a quick search on fall colors. "I'll take you on a color tour in October. You can have all the leaves you want." If you're still here, she thought in worry.

August's hand cupped under hers, and he drew her phone closer. "How does it become red and yellow?"

"The red and yellow are always there, but they're masked, ah, outcompeted by the green. It's only when the tree stops making the green that the red and yellow show. Right before it snows."

"Outcompete." His words were a raspy whistle. "Nextdoor has one tree. Very short." He let go of her hand to hold his waist high above the ground. "They survive only in the mountains. They don't turn red." His attention went into the leaves where a bird rustled, chirping. "Nextdoor is empty. No color. Lots of rain. Maybe that's why we wear a lot of color." He hesitated, long fingers reaching for his phone. "Renee, would you like to see my leaves?" he said, then whistle-clicked into his phone before turning it to her.

She leaned in, eyebrows rising. "Oh! Nice," she said as August scrolled, showing her dry brown leaf after dry brown leaf in weird shapes and sizes. "Wait. Stop," she blurted as one caught her eye, and he scrolled back to a soft oval with a spider-webbing of veins. It looked just like the pattern on Vaughn's ring. He hadn't worn it for weeks, but it had been so unusual it had stuck in her mind.

"Nice?" August said, clearly pleased, and she nodded.

"It's beautiful." Her eyes tracked it when August pulled his phone close.

"Very rare," he said as he gazed proudly at it. "Given to me by…parent's parent, many times. The tree was from a closed-portal world."

"Wow." At the embassy, a light on the portal receptionist's desk began to glow a harsh red, warning people to stay clear of the labyrinth. Jackson tugged his fatigues straight, and she stifled a flash of worry. Someone was coming.

"Shoulders up mean worry," August said, and she forced them down. "Eye wrinkles means worry. Head wrinkle means big worry. Why are you worried, Renee?"

"Ah, I promised Jackson I'd wait so we could tell you and Noel together."

August looked at the glowing labyrinth. "Jackson asked Noel to come to Earth?" A small noise escaped him. "You found the missing. They are dead."

Renee stiffened. "I didn't say that."

"I see it in your face," he said, and she froze when his long fingers touched her jawline. "Your eyes are holding water."

She nodded, and his hand dropped. "Han and Raphael," she whispered. "Mikail is still missing. He might be okay. August, I fear for both our worlds. If you have any sway with Noel, please help her understand. It's bad. How they died was bad, and I think it was someone here who caused it to happen."

August's attention suddenly went over her shoulder. "Noel is here," he said, and she turned. The labyrinth was empty, but it was glowing, making Renee wonder if she felt a pull to it—as if something in her skin brightened as the labyrinth engaged.

Noel seemed to step from the absolute line of black and white…And then the lines went dark and Noel had moved to greet Jackson, the back of her hand held at eye level for him to return the gesture.

Immediately Jackson offered her a moist-air canister, and the stately jin waved it away.

Renee's pulse quickened when Jackson turned and beckoned for them to join him. "We should go in. Don't tell them you figured it out."

But August caught her sleeve, stopping her. "Have Jackson bring her here," he said, eyes flicking to the leaves over his head. "Noel should see what a hasty decision will risk."

A drop of fear lit through her and was gone. "You sure? It's awfully bright." Jackson and Noel were watching them through the multiple layers of glass, and she began to fidget.

She reached for her phone, motion stopping when August whistled sharp and long, the sound something between a bald eagle and a cardinal.

Immediately Noel focused on Jackson, and after a short exchange, she accepted the moist-air canister and they headed for the door, the aide behind the desk fussing and getting in the way as they passed through the open, old air lock and into the hall. The small jin looked utterly amazing, her fiery red ribbon shirt showing gold edges at the pleats, her pale wings draped behind her like a cloak, and her matching red pantaloons flashing hidden glimpses of gold as she moved.

She made a singularly impressive sight, and Renee brushed the wrinkles from her shirt when Jackson and Noel paused at the final, twin glass doors as Jackson offered her his sunglasses.

"Good. Thank you," Noel said as Jackson opened the door for her. Her speech was hesitant and very unclear, but Renee was impressed.

"Have you been coaching her?" Renee asked as Noel made her slow way to them, her eyes hidden behind Jackson's cheap gas-station shades.

"She is sent a record of the day. Noel listens," he said simply, then whistle-clicked to Noel, the back of his hand held low and his wing knuckles high in greeting. Renee felt uneasy as Noel returned it, both the whistle-click and touching the back of her hand to his. The height of the exchange, Renee realized, seemed to be significant; low was like a hug between friends, and high was a bland, businesslike handshake.

"Madam Noel," Renee said, lifting the back of her hand to meet hers. Her touch was brief, and Noel fixated on the tree, squinting over Jackson's glasses at the leaves. Dropping back, Renee wondered if she could see a hint of a tattoo on the Neighbor's otherwise pristine wings. Most of the jins she'd seen had elaborately decorated wings, but all Noel had were faded lines and rings on the lower hem, chiming faintly with her every move.

Jackson inched closer to Renee as Noel and August began to talk, their whistles and clicks making her more nervous, not less, though it was obvious they were talking about the tree. Eventually, though, Noel folded her hands and silently looked expectantly at Jackson.

"You're up," Renee said, and he shifted uneasily.

"We're waiting for Will and Hancock," he said, and August made a soft twitter of translation.

Noel's wings rose, and again the two began a mostly one-sided back-and-forth.

"Ah, any idea what the problem is?" Jackson muttered, and Renee winced.

"I think they're figuring it out." Renee forced a smile, jumping when Noel's wing knuckles cracked sharply together over her head, and August went quiet, his eyes downcast.

Wings low, August turned to them. "Madam Noel would like General Han's and Raphael's bodies to give to their families."

Jackson glared at Renee, and she backed up a step. "I didn't tell him!" she protested, then flushed as she realized Noel was staring at her.

Chest heaving in a sigh, Jackson faced the waiting Neighbor. "August, will you please tell Madam Noel that we wait for Will so that my words of explanation are not misconstrued."

"Ah, understood in error," Renee added, and August's faint rasp of confusion vanished.

Clearly contrite, he turned to Noel and explained. And just as clearly, Noel was having none of it, her harangue rising, a harsh counterpoint of whistles and clicks as August persisted, gestures becoming extravagant.

"Where the hell are they?" Jackson muttered, glancing at the empty hallway behind him.

"Jackson, just tell her!" Renee said. "Tell her. Now! August will translate."

Noel's tirade abruptly cut off. Her wings were high, spread slightly in the sun to make her look like an angel. A very pissed angel.

Seeing her, Jackson faltered. "Damn. I forgot everything I was going to say," he whispered, then cleared his throat before making the correct gesture of high respect, impressing Renee. She hadn't even known he knew it.

"Madam Noel, we have found two of your people," he said, and August began to translate, his soft whistle-clicks a faint background noise. "They are coming now for you to receive them. I'm ashamed at what happened to them, and I promise that I will bring justice to whoever did this, even if it means I lose my life's work."

"Good start," Renee whispered as August caught up, hesitating on some of the words.

"The world where such things happen is not one I want to live in," he continued, and Renee sighed in distress when a small ensemble of people entered the hall, two long, low, silk-draped boxes atop gurneys in their care. Hancock and Will were with them, and her pulse raced when they noticed them in the courtyard and changed direction, sending everything off-rail.

"These are not the people I wish to associate with if they ordered the actions taken upon your people," Jackson said, gesturing to indicate the entire installation as Hancock broke from the crowd, Will quickly behind.

"This is not waiting, Major," the colonel said as he pushed into the courtyard, but August was stumbling over a word, and Renee turned her back on the angry man with too many stars on his shoulder.

"?‘Associate with' is do work with," she whispered to August. "Find knowledge with."

August finished his translation as Hancock came to a blustery halt.

Oh, God, Renee thought in dismay as Hancock made his hand-high greetings with both Noel and August. They're bringing the coffins out here.

"If I may finish, sir," Jackson said dryly. "I promise you," he continued, nervous now, "that if it is one of my own who ordered this, I will tell you. Because we are not prey or predators. We are people, and people do not do this to other people."

"Nice," Will whispered as he ghosted up to stand beside Renee, briefly touching the back of August's hand even as the mer continued to translate. "Sorry we were late. Tayler got ugly."

Hancock frowned as August finished. "Couldn't wait, eh?"

"They aren't stupid," Jackson said, his expression worried as he watched Noel's response. "They figured it out."

Renee, too, was watching Noel. The high-ranking jin was almost ignoring August's whistles and clicks. No, she was listening to the background conversation, understanding nearly everything.

Because her creation spark is translating the easy stuff, Renee thought, and then she shifted, making room for the two long coffins being rolled closer. One was draped in red silk, the other, white, and August's translation faltered and died as Noel focused on them.

"Madam Noel, we return Han and Raphael back to your care with our shame," Jackson said, and Hancock bristled.

"Jackson…" the man muttered, and Jackson rounded on him, his face flushed.

"I am ashamed," Jackson said, voice clear and loud as the attendants dropped back. "They looked to us for protection as much as any man or woman on your installation, Colonel. And it was betrayed in the name of knowledge. Knowledge that could have been gained by asking."

"I will see," Noel said simply, and Jackson spun, his mood shifting.

"H-here?" Hancock stammered, but Jackson had already motioned for the attendants. They were young, their faces and expressions empty as they practiced their moves to collect the drapes as if they were flags and, one by one, presented them to Noel. The caskets were opened together, and Renee steadied herself, her shock shifting to anger when she realized the scent of decay had been muted by a faint scent of preservative. That farmer hadn't done this. They had been embalmed.

Her heart clenched in grief as she looked down. They'd been tended to since she'd seen them in the video, the blood washed away. They lay nestled amid red and white silk respectively, covered but for their faces. Flowers filled the gaps between them and the walls of their boxes: red sunflowers, cardinal flowers, and fragrant crimson lilies for the general; white carnations, daisies, and lilies for his aide. Her wings had been nestled under her, but it was obvious that they had been severed.

Renee looked up, starting when she realized Noel was watching her reaction. Only after their eyes met did the jin look down at her fallen, her wings drooping to brush the grass.

Noel stepped forward, the two silken triangles in her hand. The courtyard was silent apart from the twittering bird as she stood between them, touching their foreheads as she whistled and clicked something that made Will shrug. He didn't know.

"You give us flowers?" August translated softly, but it was obvious that Noel was agitated as she fell into a fast-paced tirade, shifting August from translation to damage control as he chittered and whistled back.

"This isn't good," Will said, concentrating on their words.

"What is she saying?" Hancock demanded.

"They're talking too fast." Will winced. "She thinks the flowers are a bribe."

"Bribe!" Hancock blurted.

"August is trying to explain that they're probably not, but she's having none of it."

Renee winced at the misunderstanding. "Flowers are extremely rare Nextdoor," she said, knowing Noel might believe her over August. "Priceless. August, tell her that this is our tradition since before we became sentient. It's not a bribe. It's how we grieve. To show that beauty remains even though that which we most value is gone."

August seemed to sigh in relief, then turned back to Noel, whistling and gesturing.

Jackson eased closer to her other elbow. "He knows the word ‘sentient'?"

Renee arched her eyebrows. "You wouldn't believe what we talk about when you aren't listening," she said, her eyes never leaving Noel.

August finished his translation and stood silent, his wings clamped meekly against his back. It was obvious that Noel hadn't needed the help in understanding. At least, it was obvious to Renee when Noel made one whistling tweet, and August launched into a long response.

"What is he saying?" Jackson prompted, and Will shrugged.

"Something about predators and prey. Damn, Renee, what have you told him?"

"Um…" Renee winced, startled when Noel's wing knuckles clicked together over her head like a gunshot.

"I akseepth my peepol," Noel said awkwardly, and August slumped in relief.

Hancock beamed, thinking this was over. Jackson knew better, stepping forward with a solemn air, first motioning for the attendants to move the bodies out and then facing Noel directly.

"You are gracious, Madam Noel," Jackson said, August's translation aided by Will this time. "Please accept my vow to find out if my superiors are responsible and bring them to light even if it means my removal from the project."

"Jackson…" Hancock all but growled, stiffening.

"This is my life," Jackson said, gesturing to encompass the installation, "but your people lost theirs, and the truth of this is more important than any one man." He hesitated. "Will, is August getting all that?"

Will nodded, even as a sudden commotion rose at the double glass doors to the hall. It was Tayler, the angry woman in her lab coat being rebuffed and manhandled away from the Neighbors' embassy even as her muffled shouts made August wince. Vaughn stood for a moment, alone in the hall, then bolted after Tayler.

Jackson's jaw clenched. "I also ask that August and yourself take part in our efforts to bring the knowledge of you and your world to our own people in a, er, holo broadcast to help prevent this from happening again."

"Major?" Hancock intoned, and a faint blush rose up Jackson's neck. Yes, it was Jackson's project, but he was obviously skipping protocol by mentioning it now. The soft click of the door latching sounded loud as the caskets were moved out, and Renee felt better without them between her and the Neighbors.

Flustered, Jackson took a breath, held it, and slowly let it out. "Provided my superiors agree with my plan of action," he added, lips twisted as if the words were bitter.

August softly translated, his whistle-clicking cutting off at Noel's terse click.

She just told him to shut up, Renee thought, wondering if she was beginning to understand some of what August was saying. It was nonsense until she divorced herself from thinking it was music.

"Ah," August stammered. "Madam Noel says she would appreciate the opportunity to speak to Earth and asks that Jackson also helps in holo to…promote truth between us. If Jackson can't…participate, then no one from Nextdoor can."

Hancock's eyes narrowed, but it was all Renee could do to not find Jackson's hand and give it a squeeze. This is Jackson's project. And with a public show, it always would be.

"Madam Noel is gracious," Jackson said again. "Such understanding will grant your people more freedom, something I'm most eager for."

Noel made a soft whistle twitter, and August nodded. "Madam Noel agrees this is true. She says that no mer or jin will go far from the portal and their way home. She asks that the Earth talk happen here."

To allow them to quickly snap out of danger, Renee thought, brow furrowed as August fell into a whistle argument with Noel over something, probably the limit of his leash.

There was another one of those sharp knuckle clicks, and August's protests cut off. Wing hem curled, Noel brought her attention back from the coffins, visible through the hazy, multipaned glass. "Ree-nay, Jackson, Willbordoe." The stately Neighbor hesitated, inclining her head. "Hancock."

August dropped back as Hancock came forward to say his farewell to Noel. "August?" Frustrated, Renee pulled him close, lips barely moving. "Tell Noel that, unlike Jackson, I don't have to ask permission to find out who did this, and when I do, I will drag them before her so she can ask them why. I swear it."

August dropped back, wide eyes blinking in surprise. "Is predator or prey speaking?" he asked, but she didn't know, and she felt herself warm as Jackson nervously cleared his throat, the man obviously having overheard.

"Awgust? We talk please as I go," Noel prompted, and August turned away, head low as he escorted Noel into the building and to the labyrinth, where the two coffins waited. But Renee's determination took a hit when she realized Jackson, Will, and Hancock were all looking at her.

"Dr. Renee Caisson." Hancock shifted his bulk to face her. "I don't recall employing you as a vigilante to right the wrongs as you see them."

"Oh, that's a free service," she said, startled when Jackson took her arm and pushed her to the door. "Hey, I want to see Noel walk the pattern," Renee complained, and Jackson gave her another little shove.

"I'll handle Tayler, not you," the man said, and Renee stumbled until finding her balance.

"You will, huh?" She stopped short, miffed when Jackson propelled her into the hall, glancing over his shoulder at Hancock and Will still under the tree before letting her stop.

"Pretend to be pissed," Jackson said.

"I am pissed!" she exclaimed. "I can smell what's going on, and whoever did that, whether through orders or not, needs Neighbor justice, not ours. They mutilated them to find out how well they regenerated."

"I agree," he said, pressing close. "But if you walk around with a cape and lasso of truth, spouting revenge, Hancock will confine you to quarters. Do you have any idea how hard that will make my life? How difficult it will be to find the proof of who did this?"

Renee hesitated in relief. "You'll help me?"

Jackson backed off, the scent of his cologne heady between them. "Help? I'll drive the car." Again he glanced over his shoulder, where Hancock stood in the courtyard, suspiciously watching them. "Besides, pinning this on Dr. Tayler is probably the only way I'm going to get my sunglasses back."