I looked at Original Simon, his expression a strange, sad blend of wonder and longing, like someone from the desert seeing the ocean for the first time. The life he was supposed to have was spilled out in front of him, all the emotions and grief and love he’d been denied. It wasn’t only the Consort who had cheated him.
We spend so much time thinking about how the future will unfold, all the newness in the world and the frontiers to be discovered, that we forget about what came before. But we carry the past with us, the bright pieces and the damaged bits giving the world meaning in the same way hope gives it direction. Simon had a past of fleeting moments and shifting worlds; hard ground that made it tough to put down roots even now, and I watched the realization of all he’d lost hit him full force.
“Go,” he said roughly, and shoved me toward the door.
We slipped back through the garage pivot and found the car, saying nothing until we arrived a few blocks from the Free Walker base.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“It’s only a matter of time before they find us, isn’t it? Either we beat them, or we’re just running out the clock.”
I leaned my head against his arm, felt him brush a kiss over my hair. “Probably. But after tonight . . . I’m not sure how much time we have left.”
When we walked into the lobby of the hotel, it was clear the clock had run out.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
THE LOBBY DOORS DIDN’T SLIDE open at our approach. Through the panes of glass I spotted a Free Walker I didn’t recognize behind the front desk, and I rapped hard to get his attention. When he saw us, he spoke into a walkie-talkie, then pressed a button to let us in.
“Where’s Rose?” I said.
“You two were supposed to stay in the infirmary,” he said, trying to sound imposing. I’d been in trouble enough times to know when you were dealing with a real threat, and this guy, with his scrawny arms and nervous air, was nowhere close.
“I didn’t feel like a nap. Where’s Rose?”
“Right here,” said my grandmother, coming around the front desk. “I suppose this is better, actually. Makes you easier to move.”
“You mean because I’m conscious?” I sniped. “I’m not going to the First Echo.”
Her mouth thinned. “In case you’re unaware, we’re in a bit of a crisis. I’m not going to waste time arguing. Why don’t we leave the decision to Simon?”
She made a show of turning to him, shutting me out. “Montrose filled you in on our plans. Would you prefer Del to wait out the attack in the safety of the First Echo? Or would you like her to accompany you to CCM, knowing how desperate the Consort is to stop us, and knowing that they will kill her if we don’t succeed.”
He swallowed and looked uneasily at me.
“No.” He started to speak, but I cut him off. “I swear to you, Simon, send me away again and it will not be the Consort you have to be afraid of.”
“You could come back,” he protested. “Once it was safe.”
“And if the Free Walkers fail?”
“Then at least you’d be okay,” he said softly, and laced his fingers with mine. “I thought I was going to die, Del. Saving you was my consolation. I never expected Powell to come. Ever since, I’ve been living on borrowed time.”
Fear, ominous and choking, rose inside me, but I said, “That’s not true. We can do this, but not if you ship me off the minute things get rough. This is my life, and my choice, and I choose to stay with you.”
He bent his head to mine, the kiss battling back both our fears. Then he straightened and turned to Rose.
“I told you before: We’re a package deal. You try to play us against each other, and you’ll need to find another Echo to put on your show.”
“It’s on your heads, then,” she said coldly. “We have more important problems to deal with.”
She beckoned, and we followed her into the conference room. Inside, the massive table was covered with whirring laptops, extension cords and power strips winding along the floor like jungle vines. The air was warm, heavy with the scent of burning dust and something electric, and two guys—one heavyset, wearing a sweat-stained blue T-shirt, the other rail thin, with the kind of seedy-looking scruff guys