Osopa brought up a blank holoscreen. Tukui pulled his handheld from its pouch on his belt and tapped. A moment later, a series of Kalquorian characters overlaid the gridded map that had appeared.
Tina looked from the screen to her Dramok. “Tukui, what are you doing?”
“Hold on.” His eyes narrowed as more Kalquorian writing scrolled over the map. After a moment, he muttered something under his breath. From his expression, Tina guessed what he’d said wasn’t nice.
Through gritted teeth, he spoke in English again. “He’s a smart kid.”
Osopa peered at the readout too. His startled look told Tina she wouldn’t like whatever they’d found.
She summoned the lately won assurance as their forever lifemate to bark orders of her own. “I want an answer as to what’s going on.”
Tukui faced her. “Zac knew exactly where he was going and how to get there, though I can’t say how. Team Two’s assigned area brought him almost as close to his home address as he can possibly be.”
Tina gaped. “Wasn’t that neighborhood destroyed?”
“It’s a wasteland, right up to the crater where the city was. Zac can’t reach it with the containment in place keeping the radiation within. He’ll be stopped a couple miles away.”
Osopa growled low in his throat. “The wasteland next to the barrier is called ‘The Rim’. That area outside the containment is in bad shape. The quakes that hit afterward did their fair share of damage. It’s dangerous, with drop-offs and falling debris.”
“How bad is the radiation there?” Tina was shaking.
“Within acceptable levels. We wear protective gear as a precaution, but a few hours in that area won’t do any damage. Right now, fallout is the least of Zac’s problems.”
The Nobek’s com came to life. “Team Two leader to Security Commander Osopa.”
“Go.”
“The storage hatch was open when we got here. No sign of a child. We’re fanning out to search.”
“I’m on my way with a team, but by all means, begin your sweep.” He glanced at Tina. “He won’t have gotten far, my Matara.”
That’s what she’d told Mr. and Mrs. Garcia. How wrong she’d been.
* * * *
Tina tried to be patient as Tukui doublechecked her radiation gear, making sure she was properly encased in the thick, crinkly suit and helmet. It had been fashioned for a Kalquorian, far too large for her slender, shorter frame. She wore as much tape as suit. Where the silver bands didn’t bind her protection close, the white suit bagged out in the strangest bulges. She looked like a balloon animal tied by the world’s worst clown.
“Looks good,” her Dramok reported as the indicators on her forearms flashed green. “You won’t need it. The counters outside the barrier are showing acceptable levels.”
He gave her an encouraging smile, but his expression was tight. Tina was sure radiation counts had nothing to do with the underlying tension he couldn’t quite hide.
Her stomach was heavy as Tukui turned from her to address the rest of the search party in the large shuttle skimming the skies outside the site. “The boy hasn’t been seen from our flyovers. We’re fairly sure of the direction he’s heading though, and I’ve programmed the trackers for the specific address he hopes to find. The tracker will try to route you along a street that was destroyed by the earthquakes in the next quarter of a mile. It’ll offer us six alternates once we reach that point, any of which Zac might have taken.”
The shuttle shifted slightly under Tina’s feet. They’d landed.
Tukui continued his instructions. “We’re teams of two to each route, and I’ve given you your assignments. Move out as soon as you’re ready.”
Osopa spoke from her right. “You’ll be with me, my Matara. If there’s anyone Zac won’t come to at this point, it’ll be me.” He appeared pinched with regret behind his clear helmet. “I did my best not to scare him, but I fear I insulted him when we had our talk on the balcony. No doubt that’s why he decided to take this action. I’m sorry.”
“We’re all doing our best with him. I’ve made more than my share of mistakes,” she said.
She could have offered better comfort. Tina believed Zac would have eventually gone looking for his parents given any opportunity to do so. However, she was afraid to mention it. Surely her clanmates must feel she and her siblings were proving too much trouble to keep. Zac’s belligerence had reached a crisis point.
If I’d kept myself together, they wouldn’t have had to keep him and Callie for me