Six (32 page)

Okay,
said Parker. He went to speed up, then realized that Emma was starting to fall behind.

Emma! Hurry up!

Emma nodded, and Parker saw her will herself to go faster.

Parker pointed to the entrance
See it?

Yes,
said Emma. They both sped up.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Parker wasn't sure when he lost Emma. One moment she was next to him, the next he was running through the door of the stairwell on his own.

Parker spun around and saw—just before the door slammed shut—Emma kicking wildly as the two men they had passed earlier dragged her away. Both men were looking around them as they pushed Emma forward. Parker realized that they hadn't seen him.

He could have run down the stairs. He could have found somewhere to hide. Then, when his dad turned up, they could have gone back to get Emma together. That may have been the sensible thing to do but, for Parker, there was never even a moment of doubt in his mind. He opened the door and stepped back out into the lobby.

We're on our way
; that was what his father had said. It was all Parker could think about as he sat with Emma in the avection chamber, on the bed farthest from where Solomon's lifeless body still lay untouched.

When they'd told their father they had been caught, he'd repeated it.

We're on our way.

We're.

Meanwhile Parker and Emma could do nothing but wait, their backs turned away from Solomon, the two guards watching their every movement closely. So far a stream of people had come and gone. Some had asked them questions, none of which either Parker or Emma had answered. Not one of them seemed to have any idea what it was that had happened to Solomon. They were all in agreement, however, that whatever it was, it was very serious indeed. Now they were waiting from someone in senior management to arrive.

Parker stared down at his wrist. The middle light was still on. Of everything that had happened in the last hour, this was the most surreal of them all. He had dreamed about this happening for three years, and yet he couldn't bring himself to press down on his mother's light. Not that there would have been any point anyway; Effie's signal couldn't get past the thick walls of the chamber.

While they'd waited, Parker had told Emma everything that Solomon had said before the avection. She had reacted in much the same way as he had—with shock and then tears. After that they had sat next to each other in silence—both lost in a tornado of thoughts—until the doors opened and a group of people walked in, headed by an extravagant-looking large woman in a black tunic, oversize sunglasses, and swathes of gold jewelry hanging from her neck and wrists. Her dark brown perfectly styled hair bounced as she strode into the room.

“Where is he?” she asked. She didn't acknowledge Parker or Emma.

The man in a dark suit on her right—a tall pale man with a long face and closely set eyes—motioned to his right. Parker had met him earlier when he'd attempted to question Parker and Emma. He had introduced himself to them as Anderson. Parker guessed, by the fact that he was the only other person apart from the woman not wearing a purple blazer, that he was more senior than the rest of the people in the room. Apart from the woman, of course. Just by the way she conducted herself, it was clear that she was very much the one in charge.

The woman said nothing. Parker, along with everybody else in the room, turned to watch as she walked over to the body of Solomon. She removed her sunglasses and held them out to her side. A young woman with red hair ran forward and took them from her.

“What do we know about him?” asked the woman as she prodded Solomon's body.

“His papers say that his name is James Marsh—a fifty-eight-year-old NASA engineer from Florida. He's blind and widowed. It's about all we know,” said Anderson.

“Are those his children?” asked the woman without looking away from Solomon.

“Yes,” said Anderson. He walked up to the woman and, though he kept his voice down, Parker was still able to hear what he said. “They're not talking. We think they're in shock.”

The woman turned around. “I'd like you all to leave.”

Nobody argued. They all turned and walked straight out.

“You too,” she said to the guards. “Out.”

One of the guards appeared to hesitate. “Are you sure that's safe?”

“Don't be ridiculous,” snapped the woman.

“Yes, President. Of course. We'll wait outside,” said the guard as he withdrew quickly from the room.

Parker stood, pulling Emma up with him.

“Not you. Sit down.”

Parker said nothing but sat back down slowly. The woman walked over to them and waited until the doors closed.

Parker steeled himself. She did not look like somebody who was going to accept their silence easily. It was, though, the only thing he could think of doing. He would call his father when they were out of the chamber, but for now they were on their own once again.

“I am Genevieve Bowveld—President of SIX. I want you to answer my questions—do you understand?”

Parker was surprised to hear the Bowveld name—but he didn't allow himself to show any reaction.

“How do you know Solomon?”

The question was so completely unexpected that Parker flinched in surprise. It was the first time he'd reacted in any way since they'd been brought back to the chamber. Annoyed with himself, Parker looked down at his lap.

“You might as well tell me now,” said Genevieve. “One way or another, we'll get the information from you.”

Her voice was slow and threatening.

“His name is James Marsh,” said Parker quietly. “He's my dad.” He didn't look up.

“No,” said Genevieve. “His name is not James Marsh. His name—as you full well know—is Solomon Gladstone. And Solomon Gladstone did not have any children. It may not be obvious to the thickheaded people who work for me, but I know a multiple avection when I see one. We've only ever sent back one person who survived. That person, as I'm sure you know, was Solomon Gladstone. So, I'll repeat my question—how do you know Solomon?”

Parker shook his head.

“Very well. Then answer this for me—who are you?”

“Aaron Marsh,” said Parker. “My sister is Jenny Marsh.”

Emma kept her head down.

If she doubted this, Genevieve didn't mention it. “Why did Solomon bring you here?” she asked instead.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emma's hand going to her wrist.

Don't tell her anything,
she said.

I won't,
replied Parker.

Genevieve was silent. Parker didn't dare to look up.

“You leave me no choice,” said Genevieve as she walked away.

Parker's head snapped up, and he saw Genevieve pressing a button in the wall. The doors slid open. The group of people outside saw her and straightened to attention. She motioned for Anderson to come forward, then she turned and fixed Parker with a stare.

“Send them back,” she said.

Parker's eyes widened.

Anderson looked equally shocked. “But that would be a second avection for them. It will—”

“I know what a second avection means, Anderson. Send them back.”

Anderson shifted uncomfortably and glanced over at Parker and Emma. “But, Genevieve, they're just children.”

“Are you arguing with me?”

Anderson shook his head. “No, President. Of course not. It's just that—”

“Do you know who that man is?” interrupted Genevieve, turning to face Solomon's body.

Anderson shook his head.

“I'll give you a hint, Anderson: it's a multiple avection.”

Anderson thought about this for a moment until the answer came to him, and his mouth dropped open.

“Solomon?”

“Exactly.”

“But why?” He lowered his voice. “And who are they?”

“They're not talking and, frankly, it's irrelevant—we're not running a day-care center. The whole matter makes me very uncomfortable.”

“But—”

“We don't need this kind of complication on SIX, Anderson. My decision is final. I want those children gone.”

Parker wondered if she was letting them hear this so that they would react. It almost worked—Parker was half ready to say something in protest—but he stopped himself; he didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her the truth—he was sure that would be no more welcome than their silence. And talking would mean telling them that they had come after their father. He had no idea what trouble that might cause his parents. He decided to keep quiet until he could think of a better way out of it.

“When?” asked Anderson.

“Now.”

Parker froze.

“Send them straight back,” she continued. “Put them into one of the resistant chambers—they'll need to be strapped down.”

Anderson leaned over and whispered something in Genevieve's ear. She nodded, and then they both stepped onto the other side of the doorway. Genevieve waved for everybody gathered outside to leave. They scurried off, and Anderson and Genevieve began a whispered discussion out of earshot of Emma and Parker.

Parker!
said Emma on Effie.

Parker realized that he couldn't wait any longer. He looked at the open doorway.

Emma. We have to run.

They'll catch us.

We have no choice. We can't get ahold of Dad in here. Ready?

He looked over at Emma. She nodded.

At the same time, they both stood up and then, before Genevieve or Anderson had a chance to react, Parker and Emma ran out and down the corridor.

“Stop them!” shouted Anderson.

They sprinted back along the same corridor that they had run down only moments earlier. This time, however, they didn't even manage to reach the turning. The two guards must have been waiting right there, and they had called for backup—there were at least six guards behind them. The group of guards stepped out, and there was not a thing that Parker or Emma could do about it—they ran straight into them.

Genevieve walked over to them slowly as Parker and Emma kicked and struggled in an attempt to escape. She reached out to Parker's face and grabbed his chin, then lifted his face up to hers. Parker didn't stop struggling—his face contorted with the effort of trying to get away.

“Now that wasn't very clever, was it, darling?”

She looked up at the guards. “Sapphire. Now.”

Emma began to scream as the guards dragged them over to the nearest door.

“Help!” shouted Parker as the door slid open and the guard dragged him inside. Parker twisted and kicked and tried to reach his wrist to call his dad as another guard stepped in to help. They each took one of Parker's arms.

“Somebody help us!” shouted Parker as the men dragged him into the chamber.

Emma screamed louder as the guard dragged her over to the nearest bed. She kicked and fought as hard as she could, but the man was too strong. Genevieve walked over and watched as the guard lifted Emma onto the bed. Another guard stepped in and pulled up a strap from the side of the bed. Emma was still screaming as he pinned her hand down and began to wrap the strap around her wrist. He was about to secure it when a voice stopped him.

“Let go of them.”

Everybody froze.

Parker turned.

There, standing the doorway, was his father.

Parker could only stare, as if he couldn't quite believe it was really him. He heard Emma gasp, but neither she nor anybody else said a word as Parker's father stepped into the room and walked over to Genevieve.

“Let them go. Now.”

Parker felt the grips loosen slightly on his arms, but the guards did not let him go.

Genevieve and their father locked eyes.

“Dr. Banks. This is all starting to make sense now.”

“Give me my children.”

Genevieve shook her head. “I'm afraid that won't be possible, Dr. Banks. Your children are unauthorized to be on SIX.”

Parker watched, transfixed at the transformation of his father as he glared back at Genevieve. If his dad was scared, he had a good way of hiding it.

“My children are here because I am here,” he said. “It seems you underestimated what I would do to bring my family together.”

Genevieve narrowed her eyes at their father. Parker could hardly breathe. He had already seen what Genevieve was capable of.

“Get back to work, Dr. Banks. If you want your children, you will get the job done.”

Parker's father looked down. For a moment Parker thought he was going to give up—that he was going to leave them here and do as Genevieve was telling him. But then his father lifted his head, and Parker saw the anger and steel in his father's eyes. His father would be doing no such thing.

“For three years,” said Parker's father, his voice strong and low, “I have let you and your brother dictate the course of my life. I allowed it because I am a father and a husband. My children and my wife are all that matter to me. You see that as a weakness, but you are wrong. They are my strength, my reason for living, and I would have done anything to keep us together. Now they are here—we are here together—and you have no more power over me.”

“How dare you?” asked Genevieve. “You listen to me—”

Their father put his hand up. “Stop.”

Parker guessed that Genevieve was not used to being told to do anything. She closed her mouth.

“I think,” said Parker's father, “that it's time for
you
to listen to
me
.”

Parker's father paused. Genevieve did not respond.

“My children are leaving with me. Now. You will grant them full citizenship of SIX without restriction, by the end of the day. My wife, my children, and I will live here freely. There will be no more threats and there will not be any attempt to break my family up. In exchange, we will finish the work that you need us to do.”