Another delay, so long, her knuckles were white where she gripped the sides of the handheld.
“No. I'm a friend of those women, though. I have been looking for you. I am happy to find you alive, Lucy Harris.”
Tears burned suddenly in her eyes and she had to swallow down the lump that stuck in her throat. “I'm happy to be found.”
Her hands were shaking again.
“My name is Bane. I was also a prisoner of the Tecran once, but an Earth woman the Tecran stole, just like you, called Rose McKenzie, helped me escape. I'm here with the United Council group.”
“You're here in Fa'allen?” Hope soared in her chest. She had an ally right here!
“Not quite. The Tecran don't trust me, they think I'm dangerous, and that I'm probably holding a grudge, so they asked me to stay out of sight of Tecra. But I have a friend in the UC team who I can send to you. And I'm not as far off as the Tecran think I am.”
Lucy wondered why the Tecran were so afraid of him, and then recalled the argument about thinking systems in the square this morning.
“Are you one of the thinking systems I heard about?”
Another long delay. “Yes.”
“Thank you for looking for me. How did you find me?” A sudden chill ran through her. If Bane could do it, what was stopping the military?
“I was curious about your search terms, and then I hopped into some of the portable lenses being carried around the square, and saw you, and thought you might just be an Earth woman under that hood, scarf and cloak.”
She tried not to look suspicious as she glanced around again. “Do you think the Tecran military might be using the same methods?”
“I'd say most definitely. I can't block them too obviously, because right now being invisible in the system is more useful, but I'm going to have something delivered to you in a few minutes, so don't be surprised when a courier approaches you, please.”
“What have you ordered for me?” She lifted her gaze, and saw that sure enough, a Tecran was dodging through the crowd with a small package in his hands.
She raised her hand as he came closer and he stopped at her table with a nod and put the package down. She was afraid she would have to look up at him, sign for it, and thus give herself away, but he just turned and walked back the way he'd come.
She opened it, and lifted out an earpiece.
Huh.
Clever.
She put it in her ear.
“That's better.” The voice was smooth. Deep.
“Much better,” she answered, the words catching a little in her throat. “Nice to meet you, Bane.”
“Very nice to meet you, Lucy. Let's get you somewhere safe.”
Chapter 14
“How did you manage this?” Lucy tapped the earpiece.
“I paid three times the price for it, to get it delivered as I specified.”
“Thank you.”
“There is very little I wouldn't do to get you safe and free.”
The words were said so matter-of-factly, but they were everything she hadn't had before.
A sob shuddered through her and she bit down hard on her lip, bent over and covered her face in her hands.
“Lucy? What's wrong.”
She struggled to answer, fighting against the constriction of her throat. Eventually she felt composed enough. “Nothing is wrong. I'm reacting to the sudden realization that things are finally going right.”
He was quiet, and then made a funny sound she thought might be a laugh. “I understand that.”
She smiled at his tone as she looked up and then went still.
Someone was staring at her.
As soon as she noticed him, he started moving forward.
“They found me,” she murmured.
“I can't see you now. Those in the crowd are all focused on filming what's happening in the square.” Bane's frustration was clear. “What do they look like?”
“One Tecran, tall, in black, wearing a cloak like mine.” She stood up, looking around for possible escape routes.
She had chosen the table closest to the shop, as far back from the street as possible while still being outside, but that meant there were two rows of tables between her and the crowd, and as she began to sidle to the right, she saw the Tecran lift his arm and say something into a wrist unit.
Calling for backup.
“Hang on, I've found a way to get eyes on you.” Bane's voice was not as calm as it had been.
And suddenly there was a sound of someone shouting overhead, and a hover skimmed over the crowd, the security officer riding it struggling with the controls.
The hover stopped above the tables, between Lucy and the Tecran approaching her.
He stopped moving forward as a number of people turned to look at what was happening.
“You're using the lens on the hover to see what's going on?” Lucy asked.
“Yes. It's had the unexpected benefit of making it difficult for the military to grab you anonymously.”
Except, she could see the Tecran military officer weighing up the risks, and realized the moment he decided that grabbing her anyway and running, what with the growing chaos on the street, would be worth it.
He lunged forward, batting chairs out of his path.
Lucy flicked a final look at the solid wall of bodies a few meters away and jumped onto the chair, and then stepped up onto the table.
“Bring the hover lower and toward me.” She didn't take her eyes off the officer as he shoved people sitting at the tables aside. He was nearly on her, a step or two away, and she jumped, grabbing the hover's stabilizer bar, and as her hands closed over it, it shot up into the air.
A hand grabbed her ankle and she wrenched her foot up, lifting her legs by bending them at the knees. His fingers couldn't get a grip and suddenly she was free.
He was shouting in fury and frustration, but she didn't look at his face. The hover was still moving, flying over the crowd, and she gaped at all the people below her. It seemed as if the antagonism was growing, spreading and getting worse as people shoved at each other and the security forces tried to separate them.
There was a sudden flash of light, and her arms wrenched as the hover jerked to the left.
Below, people in the crowd started screaming.
“Someone shot at you,” Bane said. “I'm getting you away from here.”
The hover sped up, and her arms began to shake with effort.
“You need to set this thing down, I'm going to fall.” She hoped he heard her, because she could barely gasp the words.
The crowd was at last behind them, and Bane lowered the hover, but kept it moving, turning a corner so suddenly her arms wrenched again and the pilot above nearly lost his balance.
“Hey!” The pilot looked down at her, and she blinked up at him. “Are you doing this?” He lifted his hands. Then his eyes widened as he finally looked at her face. His mouth fell open.
“No.” She could feel her fingers starting to loosen their hold. She was going to fall any moment. “Does it look like I'm doing it?”
The hover dipped as she lost her grip, and her fall was short. She landed in a crouch.
The hover shot back up, heading for the square.
“I don't want the pilot to see which way you go. Run.” Bane's words were urgent in her ear.