Free The Harvest by K. Makansi Page A

than friends. We became allies.” He lets out a slow breath, staring at me, unblinking. I watch his eyes for any sign of betrayal .
    â€œWhen Philip Orleán obtained the chancellorship, my faith in the Sector wavered. I knew what Corine planned to do with the MealPaks. I knew what she had done on the Farms, how she had used humans as test subjects without their permission. I knew how Philip had used backdoors and powerful friends to oust Cara Skaarsgard as the chancellor. When Chan-Yu began introducing me to the ideas of the Outsiders, and finally to the Outsiders themselves, my path became clear.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you run, like so many others?”
    â€œAfter your sister and the other students were murdered, I considered it. But ultimately, I realized that fleeing wouldn’t change anything. I could do more good from the inside, in the position of power I had already attained, than I could from afar. Like Chan-Yu, I do not believe in abdicating responsibility. And, like you and Valerian, I believe in a better future.”
    An anxious hope tremors inside me, like a chord held at the end of a song.
    â€œHave you seen him?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œIs he safe? Was he hurt?”
    â€œHe was not hurt, but he is not safe. None of us are safe.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “You know that as well as I do.”
    â€œDid you have anything to do with Linnea’s broadcast just now?” His eyes narrow and his forehead creases. “Of course. You didn’t see it. You were on your way here.” He shakes his head mutely, waiting for me to explain.
    â€œYou probably already know that Linnea Heilmann was sent into the Wilds to find Eli. Elijah Tawfiq.” By the way he’s squinting at me, I’m guessing he doesn’t know the whole story, so I elaborate. “Corine gave her a virus—targeted nanotech—that would corrupt the way Eli saw me, would make him want to kill me. It worked. That’s why I came here, to the capital. Linnea came with us. But after Vale was captured, she must have returned to the Resistance. And just now, she somehow managed to hack the Sector’s broadcast feed and disrupt the daily push. Instead of Jon Spironov, it was Linnea, telling people not to eat their MealPaks, not to believe what Philip and Corine say. Telling them what really happened at the SRI. Why she really left.”
    Bunqu leans back, stretching an arm across the back of the chair, a pose so relaxed it almost calms me, too. He breaks eye contact with me for the first time all night, staring off into the corner of the room.
    â€œLinnea Heilmann,” he says, his white teeth showing in a glint of a smile. “I never would have thought.” He turns back to me a moment later. “Linnea was well-liked before she left. Maybe the people will listen.”
    â€œMaybe they’ll think she’s crazy.”
    â€œOne person can be crazy. Two people can be crazy together. But a thousand people who think and believe the same crazy thing can begin to convince people that maybe they’re not crazy. Maybe they’re right.”
    I watch him for a long time, and he holds my gaze. I wonder who would win in a staring contest between him and Chan-Yu. Until tonight, my money would have unquestionably been on Chan-Yu, but now, I might have to bet on Bunqu. Maybe that’s why they got along.
    â€œWhen I asked why you came here,” I say, breaking the long silence, “you said you could help me.”
    â€œYes. I know what you want more than anything. Why you are here in Okaria. You are waiting for Vale. If you were not, you would have gone back to the Resistance already, back to safety. I can give you what you want. I can help Vale escape.”
    A seed of hope blossoms.
    â€œHow?” I ask, my voice quavering.
    â€œThe Orleáns trust me, and apparently Vale has, in the past, spoken highly of me. They have asked me talk to him in the hope I