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dragonlady7via http://ift.tt/29NTGJy:
I don’t know if this will wind up working, and again I have to stop work on it to go back to Never Wrote A Letter, because now I know what Chapter 4 has to do, but here’s what we get from Kes and Shara now that I know when Poe was born. This was what I spent the drive out here thinking of, mostly. I wonder if the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge has some sort of energy signature or whatever, because when I try to solidify ideas I had while driving I always think of its strange flat landscape; it’s a big landmark for me and no matter how deep in a fugue I am when driving I always notice where I am, and it’s quite close to the halfway point of my drive. Anyway. Irrelevant but there it is.
Sento had gotten Shara to her feet and they had come as far as the rear hallway. Kes stopped them there. “Someone in our network must have been involved in one of the rebel groups,” he said. He couldn’t accuse his mother, not even now. “They must know something. I don’t know what. They may be here just to terrorize. They could kill everyone. You have to get out.”
“They wouldn’t,” Shara said, but stopped, because she knew fine well what they could do. “Kes! I can’t run!”
“Through the hallway,” Kes said, “to the barn, to the back of the compound. It’s the last place they’ll look. They probably— we don’t know what they’ll do, they’ve got no respect for anything, I don’t know what we’re suspected of. If it’s bad enough— if you can just hide, and wait until they get away, everything’s cached— Marita knows, I’ll send her to look for you. You’ve got to get out while you can.”
“It’s too late, surely,” Sento said grimly, looking out the window.
“You have to try,” Kes said.
Shara reached out and grabbed his hand. “You’re coming with us,” she said.
Kes covered her hand with his, chest going tight. “I can’t,” he said. “They— if they have a list— my name is registered, they’ll be looking for me, I’ve been to too many things with Lita. They’ll assume I’m involved. If I’m missing, if they have intel I should be here, they’ll look for me. You’re nobody, you’re not on any lists, they’ll never even try to find you. I’ll make my way out alone and find you later.”
He heard the low rumble of engines. “Go,” he said, and pulled his hand out of Shara’s, backing away toward the front of the house. “Go now!”
“Kes,” Shara said sharply.
“I’ll send Norasol out after you,” he said. “She’ll know what to do!”
He turned then, and ran back toward the front of the house. He nearly collided with Norasol, and she grabbed his shoulders, preventing him from going any further. “Don’t go up there,” she said, “they’re here for Lita, she met with a Rebel group and smuggled documents for them and I’m sure one of them was tortured and turned.”
Kes could see into the kitchen. Lita was standing in the doorway at the top of the stairs. She’d taken off her apron and smoothed back her hair, and she had her hands clasped at her waist, waiting with perfect composure.
“Norasol,” he said, “I sent Shara and Sento out the back, I need you to go with them. They don’t know the jungle, they’ll get lost and they won’t know the safe meeting spots.”
“It’s too late,” Norasol said, “they’ll have us surrounded. I didn’t foresee this. I didn’t expect this. I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t think Lita would do this!”
“Neither did I,” Kes said, and Norasol was right, it was too late: he could see men coming up the steps, in white armor, and his mother standing there with perfect composure, waiting.
I don’t know if this will wind up working, and again I have to stop work on it to go back to Never Wrote A Letter, because now I know what Chapter 4 has to do, but here’s what we get from Kes and Shara now that I know when Poe was born. This was what I spent the drive out here thinking of, mostly. I wonder if the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge has some sort of energy signature or whatever, because when I try to solidify ideas I had while driving I always think of its strange flat landscape; it’s a big landmark for me and no matter how deep in a fugue I am when driving I always notice where I am, and it’s quite close to the halfway point of my drive. Anyway. Irrelevant but there it is.
Sento had gotten Shara to her feet and they had come as far as the rear hallway. Kes stopped them there. “Someone in our network must have been involved in one of the rebel groups,” he said. He couldn’t accuse his mother, not even now. “They must know something. I don’t know what. They may be here just to terrorize. They could kill everyone. You have to get out.”
“They wouldn’t,” Shara said, but stopped, because she knew fine well what they could do. “Kes! I can’t run!”
“Through the hallway,” Kes said, “to the barn, to the back of the compound. It’s the last place they’ll look. They probably— we don’t know what they’ll do, they’ve got no respect for anything, I don’t know what we’re suspected of. If it’s bad enough— if you can just hide, and wait until they get away, everything’s cached— Marita knows, I’ll send her to look for you. You’ve got to get out while you can.”
“It’s too late, surely,” Sento said grimly, looking out the window.
“You have to try,” Kes said.
Shara reached out and grabbed his hand. “You’re coming with us,” she said.
Kes covered her hand with his, chest going tight. “I can’t,” he said. “They— if they have a list— my name is registered, they’ll be looking for me, I’ve been to too many things with Lita. They’ll assume I’m involved. If I’m missing, if they have intel I should be here, they’ll look for me. You’re nobody, you’re not on any lists, they’ll never even try to find you. I’ll make my way out alone and find you later.”
He heard the low rumble of engines. “Go,” he said, and pulled his hand out of Shara’s, backing away toward the front of the house. “Go now!”
“Kes,” Shara said sharply.
“I’ll send Norasol out after you,” he said. “She’ll know what to do!”
He turned then, and ran back toward the front of the house. He nearly collided with Norasol, and she grabbed his shoulders, preventing him from going any further. “Don’t go up there,” she said, “they’re here for Lita, she met with a Rebel group and smuggled documents for them and I’m sure one of them was tortured and turned.”
Kes could see into the kitchen. Lita was standing in the doorway at the top of the stairs. She’d taken off her apron and smoothed back her hair, and she had her hands clasped at her waist, waiting with perfect composure.
“Norasol,” he said, “I sent Shara and Sento out the back, I need you to go with them. They don’t know the jungle, they’ll get lost and they won’t know the safe meeting spots.”
“It’s too late,” Norasol said, “they’ll have us surrounded. I didn’t foresee this. I didn’t expect this. I wasn’t prepared for this. I didn’t think Lita would do this!”
“Neither did I,” Kes said, and Norasol was right, it was too late: he could see men coming up the steps, in white armor, and his mother standing there with perfect composure, waiting.
