The Diamond Deep (57 page)

“Then come on,” the dark man said. “Show us what you can do.” His hands fisted at his side and his muscles looked bunched and ready under gray-black skin.

Onor tried to look brave as he subvocalized to Aleesi and Ix, “Evie in trouble. I'm going to try for her. I could lose. Tell Joel.” Fear thrummed at his throat, drove adrenaline through his limbs, demanded action. He stepped toward the men. “You can't just take her. That's not legal.”

“Do you see an enforcer?” Spoken by the giant blond, twice as wide as Onor and a little taller.

Onor stared at him, certain it was bad tactics to look away and search for a robot.

“We might be able to use a fighter. Show us you can fight.” The men pushed forward, the blond giant in the fore and the other two behind. The man swung at him.

Onor ducked.

Laughter, and a second swipe of the big arm, this one connecting with Onor's arm. Not a break, but he could feel pain deep in his bicep. Onor shouldered into his attacker, trying to unbalance the bigger man.

The man tensed, pushed forward.

Onor stomped on his foot. “Evie!” He called.

“Here!”

Good. She sounded strong, and still close by.

Another blow, this one a hammer up into his stomach that lifted his feet and set him back down, stumbling slightly. Aleesi's voice querying him. “What's happening?”

Onor was too busy struggling for breath to answer. He took three steps back, hoping for time.

“Give up?”

He had to take two gulping breaths before he could answer. “No.”

“Three of us could kill you.”

Evie's voice from behind them, shouted. “Run away. Think of Marcelle.”

Aleesi's voice in his ear. “You could die for fighting in the Brawl. There is an enforcer coming. Stall so it won't see you fighting.”

Onor glanced at the three men. They should be rushing him, but they were watching. Maybe this was like getting beat up on the lower levels of the ship. An initiation rite. “Tell me about this place. Tell me what I get if I fight you and win.”

“The girl lives. But you may not get to keep her.”

Onor frowned. “And if I lose?”

The big man gave him a funny look. “Then you lose the girl.”

“I have other resources.” Ix. Aleesi. Maybe Naveen. “You should let us both go.”

“Show us.”

The men were close enough he could smell the stale sweat of their bodies. The biggest one reached forward and grabbed Onor.

Onor slid down out of his arms, landing on hands and knees on the hard floor. Arms slid around his torso. He kicked, but only managed a barely-glancing blow.

As the big man picked him up, Onor looked for the enforcer bot. Surely it was close.

The man carried him fairly easily behind the protected property lines. Onor's sides hurt from being gripped so hard and his arm hurt from being hit, but he managed to hold onto his slate. The man dropped him onto the floor beside Evie. Her eyes were wide and filled with desperation and anger as the men surrounded them.

Onor pushed himself up to a crouching position, keeping as light as possible and trying to be ready to spring in any direction. The enforcer bot wasn't going to able to see them. Aleesi was silent in his ear. If only the AI could see as well as hear him.

Nothing happened. No one threw another punch at him or tried to hurt Evie.

Onor stood. He offered Evie his hand and she stood as well, the two of them looking around. “What do you want?” Onor asked.

The tall blond who had seemed intent on killing him ten minutes before just said, “Wait.”

Maybe they were waiting for the enforcers to pass. Whatever. It let him catch his breath. Onor's legs hurt, and his stomach and arm still felt the blows that had rained down on him. Evie looked from face to face in the group, turning around to take each of them in at once. Onor watched her back, so he didn't see whatever made her gasp until she was gone from his side.

He turned to find Evie buried in Haric's arms and Naveen looking directly at Onor, a silly grin on his face.

It took Onor a breath or two to step in and hug Naveen. “How did you find us?”

“It doesn't matter. What matters is getting you to court.”

“Court? About Koren?”

“Yes. Come on. I'll fill you in on the way.”

“Haric can go with us?”

“Of course.”

Onor got his first good look at Haric. Dark bruises and a cut marred his face. Someone had helped him clean up, but dried blood still flecked his shirt. “What happened?” Onor asked.

“You don't look too good either.” Although Haric did look quite pleased to see Onor. He stepped forward and gave him almost as deep a hug as he'd offered Evie. He seemed to have grown in the few days since Onor had seen him, gained something that made him feel adult. Haric's voice sounded slightly husky as he said, “Thanks for coming.”

“I couldn't leave you loose in here.”

“Oh, I've been rescued for almost four hours now.” Haric glanced at Naveen. “But we need you.”

The assembled crowd around them still didn't look friendly, but they looked . . . calm.

Naveen addressed the big blond man. “Get us to the door and I'll credit your accounts.”

Five of the men peeled out of the circle, and they returned to the aisle-way, one man in front and three behind. Onor and Naveen walked behind Evie and Haric. “You know these people?”

“I hired them to find all three of you.”

“They didn't find us. We walked by and they snatched us.”

“It worked, didn't it?”

“They beat me up.”

“That was a show for the enforcer bots.”

“Did it have to hurt so much?”

Naveen grinned. “You did want it to look authentic, right?”

“Not that authentic.” Naveen appeared to be enjoying himself, although Onor sensed more nervousness in him than usual. It felt damned good to be back beside someone who understood the rules in here. “Thank you.”

“Thank me when we're really out of here. We need to miss all of the bots.”

“Why? We're not fighting.”

“Because I had control of them, and now I don't. That means someone else does.”

That explained the undercurrent of nerves. “Koren?”

“Could be. Gotta be someone with a lot of credit. Could be unrelated to us. This place is a zoo of hacks and hatreds.”

They walked on for a while. A few of the guards and others they passed looked at them curiously, but most looked away. Onor's guess was that the men they'd hired had reputations here.

“Why are you helping us?”

“Don't worry, I'm getting what I need out of it.”

Of course he was. Naveen took care of Naveen. Onor didn't even ask; it would become clear soon enough. “How did Haric end up in here?”

“He learned some things. So he was sent here to die.”

“And you rushed in and saved him?”

Naveen laughed. “No. I hired these guys to do it. One of them died saving him. That's why they're so long in the face.”

The group stopped, bunching up for a moment. “They want us to go the other way,” Evie hissed. “There's an enforcer bot.”

Damned things were never around when he wanted one, only when he didn't. He turned. They just had time to really get into a good formation again when the two men who were now in front stopped abruptly.

This time, he could see the enforcer bot that had stopped them, the silver cylinder dipped slightly toward them as if showing that it had found its quarry.

As soon as he turned away, he could see that the first bot had followed them.

There was no place to go.

Noise drew Ruby's eyes toward the door just as The Jackman rushed through it, looking wild. He spotted their table and his eyes rounded with surprise. He came over to Ruby. “What are you doing here?”

She laughed. “Visiting.” He could work out the details later. “What do you know about Onor?”

“He and Evie went into the Brawl. They're chasing Haric.”

Ruby stilled.

Marcelle's voice came out iced with control. “I thought you said they went to an Exchange?”

“Are they okay?” Ruby asked.

The Jackman shrugged. “They were fine when I left them. Haric got caught. They went after him.” His breathing sounded labored and his face looked flushed with exertion. “Where's Joel?”

Allen said, “Probably in the morning meeting room. He spends all his time in there.”

The Jackman asked Ruby, “Do you know where he is?”

She shook her head. “I just got here last night. I don't even know where the meeting room is.”

His face softened as he looked at her. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

She must look really bad if The Jackman was asking. “I'm better than Onor and Haric.” She stood up. “Let's go find Joel.”

It seemed to take a long time to reach the small meeting room. After Ruby, Allen, Marcelle, and The Jackman filed in, the space felt over-full. There weren't enough chairs. Joel motioned Ruby next to him, and gestured for her to sit on his lap, a rare public show of affection. He looked worried. “I didn't mean to be gone so long. I'm glad you found me.”

“Me too.”

His hand encircled her, resting lightly on her tender stomach. The warmth felt good. “Have you heard anything?”

“Onor and Evie found Haric.”

“They're safe?”

“We don't really know,” SueAnne said.

Lya trailed in the door. Joel tensed.

Ruby shook her head at him softly. “Let her stay.”

Joel looked like he was about to argue when SueAnne interrupted, speaking to the AIs. “Are they still in the Brawl?”

Aleesi spoke. “I can hear them talk. They sound worried.”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “So they are in danger.”

“Yes, Ruby,” Ix said. “Naveen is there. He may be able to make it all right.”

Surely Naveen wouldn't have gone into the Brawl in person unless it was safe.

“Ix?” Ruby mused.

“Is there a way for Naveen to earn credit from all of this?”

“He can broadcast anything.”

She remembered what Lya had told her. “Do you work for us or for Naveen?”

“I work for you.”

Joel was giving her a strange look, but she plowed on. She knew Ix. She'd had many conversations with it over the years. “Do you report to Naveen?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does Naveen talk to you? Directly?”

“No.”

Maybe Lya was wrong. “Do you talk to Naveen?”

Aleesi interrupted. “Ix. Check your outflow data.”

Surely Aleesi didn't need to talk to Ix out loud. She was speaking for Ruby's benefit.

It didn't take Ix long to answer. “I am copying Naveen on every answer including this one. I did not know that.”

How long had Aleesi known? It was hard to think through her exhaustion, but Ruby asked Aleesi, “Why didn't you tell us?”

“I have evaluated Naveen and decided that he sees you as too valuable to damage. If I had cut off the feed he could have known it.”

Marcelle spoke up. “How are they now? Is anything happening?”

“They are talking to two enforcer bots and another one is on the way.”

“Talking?” SueAnne asked.

“So far,” Aleesi said. “Onor is afraid. I can read his physiology.”

“But you can't see anything?” Lya asked.

“No.”

“Should I cut off the feed to Naveen?” Ix asked.

“No,” Ruby said. “But do tell him I know about the feed. Tell him good luck. Tell him I trust him. That's the only thing I can do.”

“The feed is only one way,” Ix said. “He cannot talk back to you.”

Aleesi interrupted. “I think they're in trouble.”

Onor kept trying to notice everything going on around him as the enforcers stole all of their forward momentum through the Brawl. The faces in the crowd, the wary look on Naveen's face, the various curiosity, fear, and glee on the faces of onlookers. “Aleesi, record this. We're in trouble.”