Threshold Shift (14 page)

“Evening,
Christopher,” Jon greeted.

“Deputy,”
the undertaker said as he entered. An electrocart floated behind him
at an angle, scraping past the remains of the door as it did so.
Kander’s son was close behind, as thin as his father, but with
more hair. Both men wore tight black jumpsuits that absorbed the
light and precluded any need for being searched.

“My
father is upstairs,” Jon said.

Christopher
nodded respectfully and led the cart to the staircase.

“Thank-you
Christopher,” Jon said, and watched them negotiate the
balustrade.

Roe
put her hand on his forearm. “I was beginning to think they
weren’t coming.”

“Not
Christopher,” Jon said, his eyes following them up the stairs.
“He’s old school. My father has put a lot of work his way
over the years.”

They
waited, Jon taking the opportunity to peek out into Main Street. The
Colonial Captain’s neon lights were the only sign of life.
Beside him Roe gently pulled him away from the gap.

“Don’t
get careless,” she warned.

“Sorry.”

A few
minutes later the undertakers returned with their cart, the body of
Jacob Klein encased in a white shroud.

“We
need to discuss funeral arrangements,” Christopher said. “But
I understand if now is not the best time.”

“I
can’t deal with it tonight, Christopher,” Jon replied.
“I’ll be in touch.”

The
elderly undertaker nodded solemnly and began to walk towards the
door, only to stop. He glanced at Jon a little furtively. “I
saw his simulacrum a little while ago. It was quite lifelike.”

“The
sim?” Roe interjected. “Where is he?”

The
old man bowed his head to her. “I don’t where he was
going, but I know where he’s been. I just collected a Threshian
from outside Valentine’s.”

Jon
and Roe looked at each other.

“Are
there any more Threshians out there?” Jon asked.

“None
that I could see,” Christopher said. “If they are out
there, they are very well hidden.”

“Thank-you,”
Jon said.

The
old man bowed again. “My commiserations, Jon, your father was a
good man, he will be missed.”

Jon
nodded, watching as they manoeuvred the cart through the gap,
meticulously avoiding any contact with the corpse.

“The
sim’s been busy,” Roe declared.

“He
has,” Jon agreed. “But when is he coming back?”

Roe
suddenly arched her neck upward. He recognised that movement, she was
receiving a call.

“Who
is it?” Jon asked.

“Sorry,
Jon,” she said. “It’s Andy,” she headed back
towards the kitchen. “I need to take this.”

Jon
shrugged. “By all means,” but she was already gone. He
held his rifle in one hand and peered down at the spaghetti. It
looked disgusting.

*

“Andy,
Andy,” Roe said. “Calm down, he hasn’t even been
gone that long.”

“He’s
not responding to my calls,” her brother replied. His avatar
was a short, muscular man with neat brown hair and permanent one day
stubble. Andy had never been very good at shaving.

“Let
me try,” she said, accessing her implant. Her brother’s
avatar stared impatiently at the ceiling.

“No
answer.”

“See,”
Andy said. “I’m going after him.”

“No,
Andy, you need to stay where you are.”

“He
could be dead!”

“And
what can you do if he is?” Roe asked. “Look, just stay
calm. I’ll get over there as soon as I can.”

“When
will that be?”

“Look,
Andy,” she said. “The old Marshal died yesterday, the
jail has been attacked, and the new Marshal is missing. I’m the
Senior Deputy. I can’t just exactly run over there. Jon needs
me.”

“Well
your family needs you more.”

“Tomorrow,
all right, tomorrow. Now just stay there, and let me know if anything
else happens. I’ll keep trying Dad.”

“There’s
only one reason he wouldn’t answer, Roe,” Andy said. “You
know what that reason is.”

“He’s
not dead,” Roe insisted. “Now, you, get whatever weapons
and provisions you have and be ready to get down to the cellar.”

“I’m
not going down there again,” Andy said.

“Just
be ready.”

“Roe,
we always promised each other we would never go down there again.”

“Grow
up, Andy.”

“I
can’t believe my little sister is telling me to grow up.”

“Grow
up! I’ll be there in the morning.”

“OK,”
he said. “You better be.”

Roe
tried her father again, still no answer. She activated her Deputy
privileges and used Espirnet to trace his location. The implant
registered to Abraham Jenkins was currently positioned on the east
side of Corley’s farm. She tried calling him again, no answer,
and according to Espirnet, he wasn’t moving.

Roe
closed her eyes. What should she do? What should she do? When she
opened them again, the decision was made.

*

Jon
caught her as she ran back into the office. There was a desperation
burning in her eyes he had never seen before.

“Hold
on, Roe, hold on,” he said. “What did Andy say?”

She
hesitated; he could see she was afraid. “My father didn’t
come back, and… he isn’t answering my calls.”

“Well,
he could be…”

“I
have to get back there, Jon,” she said. “I have to get
back there, now.”

Jon
let her go and turned away. The jail’s security system was a
mess and he would be alone. How would he cope if the Threshians
attacked again? He wanted to punch the wall. This wasn’t right!
“You can’t go.”

A
hand touched his shoulder and then he was facing her.

“My
family,” she said simply.

He
realised she was asking for his permission. No she wasn’t
asking, she was pleading. Despite all his fears, how could he refuse?
“You always could get round me,” he said.

She
looked down at her feet and smiled.

He
lifted her chin up with his forefinger. “You don’t get
away that easily,” he said.

They
kissed.

For a
brief moment she pulled away and he wondered if he had made a
mistake. Then she kissed him back.

When
it was over, she wiped her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. Jon
backed away, a little embarrassed, but no longer tired.

“Thank-you,
for that,” Roe said. “I, I liked it.”

Jon
smiled, and handed her a rifle form the weapons cabinet. “You
may need this.”

She
nodded, slinging the rifle over her shoulder as she headed for the
gap in the door.

He
watched her and for just a moment he was torn. “Wait.”

“What?”
She asked.

“You’re
not going alone.”

She
shook her head. “What do you mean?”

He
picked up his own rifle. “I’m coming with you.”

“What
about Paul?” She asked. “If you come with me, he’ll
get out. It’s not what your father would have wanted.”

Jon
took a deep breath. “I don’t think I care.”

*

Jon
struggled to hold on as the electrocycle sped out of the town into
the twin moonlit night. Part of him knew this was wrong. Roe had put
her family first, it was understandable, but he had no family. He
should have stayed. He remembered his father’s face on his
deathbed, so peaceful, happy. He was sorry to disappoint him, and
yet… He couldn’t do it all alone. It meant nothing to
him. With his father dead, Roe was the only person he had left to
hang onto. In the end, he decided, that would have to be enough. He
couldn’t let her ride into danger by herself, not after all
they had been through together. He couldn’t lose her too.

Around
them the orange lit streets had been replaced by rolling hills, thick
trees, and the faint blue tinge of the night sky. Beyond the hum of
the electrocycle engine, there were only vague animal sounds, almost
below his hearing. It was quiet, peaceful, no Threshians, no threat.
He felt a great strain being lifted, a responsibility let go. From
now on he would keep things simple, he would concentrate on staying
alive, on helping where he could, but he would not take the world
upon his shoulders again. It was too heavy.

Roe
sent him an audio only connect request. “You comfortable back
there?” she asked.

He
realised his hands were clasped around her waist very tightly. “Fine
thanks. What about you?”

“Oh,
I’m used to it,” she said. “But it feels like
you’re hanging on for dear life.”

“I
don’t like electrocycles,” Jon said. “Shouldn’t
you be concentrating on the road?”

“Nav
com taking care of it,” she explained. “My father still
isn’t answering.”

“He
could be unconscious,” Jon said, not wanting to suggest the
more likely scenario. “We’ll find out more when we get
there. How’s Andy?”

“I’m
just trying him now,” she said. “I’ll patch you
in.”

Andy’s
avatar appeared suspended in mid-air to his right.

“We’re
on our way,” Roe said. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing
so far,” he replied. “It’s very quiet.”

“Good,”
Roe said. “I have Dad’s location. I’m going
directly there.”

“What
do you plan to do?” Andy asked.

“Get
him home."

“And
the Threshians?”

“They
better stay out of my way.”

“If
you need any help, just…”

“Don’t
worry,” Roe said. “Jon’s with me. I’ll be
fine.”

“Jon?”

“Twenty
minutes, Andy,” Roe said. “Be ready.”

“OK,”
he said.

His
avatar faded away.

“Twenty
minutes?” Jon asked.

“Maybe
less,” Roe replied. The electrocycle accelerated.

Jon
held on even more tightly, aware that she had taken manual control.
The nav com could not have allowed this sort of speed. “Slow
down.”

“Don’t
worry,” she said. “I ride this fast all the time.”

“I
can believe it,” Jon replied. “But it’s not doing
my stomach any good.”

“We’ll
be fine,” she insisted as the kilometres flew past.

Jon
leant into her shoulder, closing his eyes, the speed flashing up on
his Espirnet display. 120kmph … 126kmph … 129kmph. He
was starting to feel a little sick.

“Come
on!” He heard Roe shout.

His
Espirnet display abruptly flickered and then disappeared. “What?”

The
electrocycle crashed.

*

Roe
opened her eyes and was instantly aware of an excruciating pain in
her left leg. She tried to move, but that was not possible, the leg
was pinned down. She vaguely recalled pushing the electrocycle as
hard as she could, but even so, she was a better rider than this. She
shouldn’t have crashed. Then she remembered, Espirnet had cut
out, and with it all her control over everything from power
distribution to internal temperature. She had not been prepared, and
she had never ridden before without Espirnet assistance. She blinked
hurriedly, but there was no display, or response to her mental
commands. Espirnet was gone.

Jon!
Where was he? Trapped as she was, she could barely move and with the
headlamp smashed, she could barely see. She wasn’t even sure
she was still on the road. The ground around her didn’t
resemble bonded stone, it felt like soft mud. She was in the ditch.

“Jon,”
she called weakly. “Jon!” A hand touched her shoulder
from behind. She tried to look up, and saw the shadow of his ripped
sleeve. “Jon, are you all right?”

“Battered
and bruised,” he said, “but nothing broken. How are you?”

“The
cycle,” she said. “It’s on my leg. I can’t
move.”

He
kneeled beside her, levering his arms underneath the bike and
lifting. She felt the pressure easing from her leg and screamed out.
The pain was worse than before.

Jon
pushed the cycle to one side. “You’re not moving,”
he said. “Not until I get some help.”

She
clutched his arm. “Medical kit in the bike, should have some
painkillers.” She heard him scramble away and closed her eyes
as he searched, but the pain was unrelenting and impossible to
escape. It felt hard to breathe. Finally he injected her. She would
have to wait at least fifteen minutes to feel its full effect.

“You
ride too fast,” Jon said.

“I
lost Espirnet,” Roe replied weakly. “I couldn’t
control it.”

Jon
peered up into the night sky. “I lost it too.”

“What
happened?” She asked.

“I
wish I knew,” Jon said. “Without it I can’t even
call for help.”

Roe
felt like she had lost a limb. She relied on Espirnet completely and
without it she wasn’t even sure where they were. “The
farm shouldn’t be too far away,” she said and then
realised, “I can’t find my father now.”

“Shush,”
Jon said. “He isn’t going anywhere. We need to get you to
Doctor Forbes.”

He
held her hand tightly. In the gloom she could only make out the vague
outline of his face. “I’m going to have to carry you,”
he said.

She
looked up. There was an orange glow in the distance. It was beautiful
below the night sky. There was only one thing it could be. “Fire,”

He
turned his head. “Could be.”

The
details were indistinct at that distance, but the sweep of the land
was familiar. “The farm.”

“Don’t
worry about that now,” he said, linking his arms under hers.
“Brace yourself.” With those words he lifted her from the
mud. The pain was already beginning to lessen, but she still flinched
and tears were coming from her eyes. Once up, she hopped on her good
leg, one arm around his neck, while he fastened an arm around her
waist. Together they awkwardly climbed the ditch and limped back to
the road. Once there, she crumpled back to the ground, exhausted.

“OK?”
He asked.

She
couldn’t turn her head away from the distant glow. “The
fields, the crops,” she said. “They’re burning it
all.”