him? What has he done that we can't duplicate?"
"He brings me tea."
"What?"
"When I hit rock bottom and needed help, he gave it to me expecting nothing in return. He takes an interest in me. He cares about my welfare. He is kind to me."
Pelori turned his head, like a bird examining an interesting worm. "Castilla will give you enough money to buy all the kindness you want."
"No."
"What if I make you come with me?"
Claire laughed. "If you touch me, I will take your mind apart."
"You don't have the power."
"Try me."
He pondered it for a long moment. He had no way of gauging her power or guessing at how fast she could dismantle the shell.
Pelori dropped off the balcony, landing in an easy crouch. "I will return."
Claire went inside. She was watched. She wasn't sure if he had contacted Castilla or if his visit was an independent effort. Either way, it would end badly.
Her magic dream of a happy life was beginning to unravel at the seams. If she let herself get caught up in mourning the unfairness of it, she would fail to hold it together. The mere possibility of losing everything filled her with fear.
Claire crossed her arms. She had to keep it together. She had to function and she would fight for her dream.
Monday came too fast. She had arrived at her regular time and sank into work, refusing to permit any distractions, including Ven's mind in the nearby office.
The digital screen in her desk chimed, sending a glowing pulse of pale blue through her screen. She checked the origin. Calena, Building Security. Now what?
She took the call. Calena's face filled the screen. "Claire, there are people here to see you," she said. "They say it's an emergency. They seem agitated."
Calena panned the camera to the side. Tonya, Charles, and Doreem Nagi leaning on a teenager who had to be Edu for support. Her stomach lurched. Something bad had happened. "I'm coming down."
Claire hurried to the elevator, her heels clicking on the transparent floor. A few seconds later the elevator spat her into the lobby. She crossed the tiled space.
Tonya saw her and would've run forward if Charles hadn't caught her. Doreem's face looked grey. Edu stared at her, wide-eyed.
"What happened?"
"They arrested Kosta!" Tonya breathed.
"What?"
"He got a recommendation for a job," Charles said, his face pale. "They looked at his job history and made him log into the bionet. He had no choice."
And the moment he logged in, his mind lit up with an AI's mark.
Her mind slipped into battle calm. "Where is he now?"
"The Security Forces took him away," Tonya said.
He was in physical custody. There was nothing she could do through the bionet or out of it.
"They're going to deport him. Melko will kill him," Tonya moaned.
Melko would definitely kill him.
Doreem Nagi pushed away from his grandson. His knees began to bend. "Please save my grandson..."
She caught him before he knelt. "Don't kneel. Please."
Charles helped him back up.
There was only one solution. "Come with me."
They followed her to the elevator. She brought them to the fifteenth floor and led them to the conference room only a few feet from the hallway leading to Venturo's office. It was the same room she'd sat in six weeks ago, waiting for her interview. The irony.
"Please rest here," Claire told them. "The bathroom is on your left. Wait for me. Don't go anywhere and don't speak to anyone. Refer anyone who asks why you are here to me."
Charles and Edu gently lowered Doreem on the couch. Claire turned and strode down the hallway.
Ven's office walls were transparent. She saw him behind his desk, watching her as she walked.
She had no idea what she would say.
Claire stopped before the door and rapped her knuckles on it. The glass slid aside and she entered the office.
"Sit down," Ven said.
She saw the set line of his jaw. His face was grim, but whether it was anger or determination, she couldn't tell.
"I need help," she said.
He leaned back. "I'm listening."
"A young man from my building on Uley is in trouble."
"How bad?"
"He logged into the bionet where he was bitten by an AI defensive protocol. The protocol belonged to a security forces installation. He has been arrested. If he is deported, he will be killed on arrival to Uley."
"Would they really kill him?" Ven asked.
"Yes. They informed us that anyone who returned to the planet would be terminated." She leaned forward. "He is a child, Ven. Barely eighteen. He has his whole life ahead of