down the wall. I was in a hidden alcove far into the abandoned section of the city. Control slipped away and hot tears flooded my eyes. I bowed my head to my knees and let them flow.
Those two weren’t the first people I’d killed, but it was cold comfort. And while it was tempting to push the pain away, to bury it deep, I knew that way lay demons. Taking another person’s life, even in self-defense, was an event worth mourning. If I lost the ability to feel that pain, then I lost myself.
I poured the pain out one tear at a time until I was empty inside. Then I dried my eyes and pieced myself back together. By the time I stood, I had myself under control. Sadness still pulsed in time with my heart, but my outer armor gave away none of my inner turmoil.
In a High House only the facade mattered, so we each became experts, in our own ways, of hiding behind serene faces and sharp eyes. It was a skill that served me well now.
I worked my way home, being extra careful. The little bedroom was just how I’d left it, but tonight it felt especially empty. I mentally went through rescue scenarios. None were great and all depended heavily on information from Veronica. If she double-crossed me, I was sunk.
When I could no longer keep my eyes open, I gave up and dropped into a fitful sleep.
Bianca’s message had arrived overnight. It once again came with many sentences in all caps and dire warnings about my future health if she got her hands on me. But she’d gotten the information I needed and had not told Father.
She had, however, passed along my concerns about a looming war. Based on her oblique references, it was not the first warning they had received, but they were keeping it off the family systems. If they were worried about a spy at that level, things were dire indeed.
I decrypted the files she sent with our personal shared key: pegasaurus. It was a magical creature we’d made up as children, a cross between a dinosaur and a Pegasus. It looked like a winged, scaly horse with an extra-long neck and extra-sharp teeth.
Each family member had a secret key shared with one other family member. It kept our communications safe even from the family. Because sometimes a meddling family member was worse than an enemy.
The list she’d sent me contained six potential override codes. Richard was known to use his own codes and change them with some frequency. The latest codes in the list had been changed less than a month ago.
My entire plan rested on these sixty digits. If one of these keys didn’t work, I didn’t have a backup, and that was a problem. Today I would scope out the spaceport, see what other ships were available for commandeering at a moment’s notice. Another ship wouldn’t get us very far, but if we found one with a little offensive weaponry, we could at least slow Richard down enough to escape to a busier planet. Hopefully.
I ate two energy bars and drank a bottle and a half of water. If everything went according to plan, I wouldn’t be back here tonight. I raided Loch’s bag and shoved all of the extra energy bars and clothes into mine. I would leave the pack with Veronica when I busted Loch out. He might appreciate a spare set of clothes.
With everything ready, I set off. Ten minutes out, I turned on the insecure com. I had an encrypted message from Veronica with meeting instructions. She had managed to acquire all but one of the items I requested and she was working on the last item.
Traveling with a pack made it harder to blend in, so I decided to head to Veronica’s before checking the spaceport. Plus, if she was going to double-cross me, it was better to know now.
Her house was on the edge of the central district. It was a nicer area, where the plastech buildings were well maintained and not augmented with mud bricks. Most of the buildings on this street were two-story houses. Lights were on in several houses and a few people were out on the street. Nothing set off any alarm bells, but I kept my guard up.
I walked the block, then turned and came up behind the house. I knocked on the back door. A few minutes later, it cracked open to reveal Veronica. “I should’ve