Free Truth by Julia Karr Page A

had been tied up for so long, it was a huge relief to laugh aloud. “I can be a little gullible.”
    “We all are, sometimes. It’s good to see you smile, Nina. You’re much too serious for a teenager. Now is the time when you should be having fun, learning about life, trying out new things.”
    “I’ve been trying a lot of new things,” I said ruefully. “Most of them haven’t been much fun, though.”
    “That will change, love. That will change.” He ushered me into a small room. Several wooden storage frames were leaning against the wall, and a huge glass-topped case was in the center of the room. This place was completely different from my usual workspace.
    “As in main storage,” Martin said, “there’s no possibility of surveillance here.” He glanced around the ceiling before continuing, “But no cutoff switches either.”
    “Guess I’d better not get caught here during an earthquake, then.”
    Martin threw back his head and laughed. “You know, Nina, you remind me so much of your father.”
    My father? I was a little taken aback. I knew that Martin was a friend of the Jenkinses, and so probably was, at the very least, sympathetic to the Resistance, but I had never expected this! Since I’d been working here, he’d never even hinted that he actually knew my father. So many secrets . . . it made my head spin. “You knew my dad?”
    “Knew Alan? Indeed I do know him.” His eyes twinkled. “And more than that. Certain friends of your father, like myself, are doing our best to make sure you are safe. After all, he can’t be everywhere at once.” As he talked, he perused the contents of the glass case.
    “You’re a NonCon?” My mouth fell open. Martin hardly seemed the type to be involved in Resistance work.
    “Oh, I do so hate that word.” He rolled his eyes. “I much prefer
dissident
. But I’ve learned to live with the majority rule. Not everyone has my taste for classical Latin derivatives. More’s the pity, don’t you know?” He flashed a quick smile. “Now, this will do.” He removed a small flask from the case and held it to the light, inspecting it. “Iona will love showing this little beauty off, and there’s little damage anyone can do to it.” He slipped it into a velvet pouch. “We’ll check it out when we get back to your desk. Come on.”
    No sooner had we stepped into the tunnel than my PAV beeped. “It’s the hospital.” After a short conversation with a nurse, I clicked off. “Gran’s awake. They want me there. I have to go.”
    “Of course you do. Work will wait.” He rushed me through the maze of corridors back to the main storeroom. “I won’t expect to see you here until Monday,” he said. “My best to your grandmother.”
    ***
    I called Chris to meet me at the hospital with Dee. When the trans pulled up to Metro, it seemed as if every passenger was getting off there. I shouldered my way through the crowd, looking around for them, torn between racing to Gran’s room and waiting for my sister. I knew Chris wouldn’t drop her off if I wasn’t there. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long.
    Once inside, Dee and I grabbed the first elport going up. When the doors opened, there was Dr. Silverman, at the nurses’ station.
    Wary of his attitude and how it might affect Dee, I whispered, “That’s Gran’s doctor. He’s kind of, uh . . . well, he’s not real friendly.”
    Almost as if he knew I was talking about him, he looked up and motioned me over.
    “Two of you.” He frowned at Dee. “How old is this one?”
    “I’m Delisa Oberon. I’ll be twelve next month.” She stuck out her hand. “Thank you for saving my grandmother’s life.”
    He stared down at her. Begrudgingly, or so it seemed, he shook her outstretched hand. “It’s what I do.” He withdrew his hand. “Nurse, a sani—” He stopped short.
    I’m not sure what kept him from asking for that wipe. Maybe it was Dee’s open smile. Whatever the reason, I hid my