Free The Harvest by K. Makansi Page B

might sway him back to the side of the Sector. I asked them if I could meet with him alone in order to ensure his confidence in me, and they agreed. Vale’s room is monitored—I myself placed the cameras—but I can give him the power to set himself free.” What is he talking about? He leans forward, his hands held out to me in a gesture of cooperation. “I can give him back his C-Link.”
    Demeter! Of course. Stripping Vale of his C-Link would have been the first thing Philip and Corine did. With Demeter back—assuming they haven’t figured out how to shut down her AI entirely—Vale should be able to make plans for his escape.
    â€œThat changes everything!” I lean forward. “General Bunqu—” I start, but he cuts me off with a small laugh.
    â€œPlease,” he says, standing up to leave, “call me Kofir, or Onion. I do not enjoy being reminded of my position in the Sector when I am with friends.”
    â€œKofir,” I begin again, “thank you. When you first came here, I didn’t know if I could trust you. I still don’t know. But Meera does, and Vale, and if what you say is true, Chan-Yu as well. If you have their trust, you have mine.”
    He nods. “That is enough for me.”
    â€œFor now,” I say. “We have a long way to go before our work is done.”
    â€œYes,” Bunqu agrees. “It is enough for now.” He gestures toward the weapons on the counter. I hand them over. “I am glad to hear it, Remy. We are on the same side and I will do everything in my power to help Vale.”
    â€œWhen will we talk again?”
    He slips the Bolts and his knife back inside his coat and pulls up his hood. “I will send you a leaf.” He bows slightly, his formal mannerisms a throwback to generations past. “Be careful.”
    â€œYou too,” I say, but he is already out the door.

6 - VALE
    Spring 68, Sector Annum 106, 9h57
    Gregorian Calendar: May 26

    A tap at the door jolts me from my thoughts.
    â€œCome in.”
    The servant enters, carrying a teapot and two teacups on a platter, which she sets on the dresser. Why are there two?
    â€œHow did you like the books?” she asks in a dull voice. Only the slight upwards inflection indicates that she expects a response. It occurs to me that she looks familiar, somehow, but in the way that some people have the kind of face you see everywhere. Who is she? I can’t quell my curiosity though her expression remains unchanged.
    â€œI enjoyed them very much,” I respond. I’m sure the tension is evident in my voice. “Thank you for bringing them.”
    â€œI have another for you,” she says. “But you’re only allowed to have a few at a time. Would you like to give me one of your old ones?”
    She looks up. Her eyes meet mine. She doesn’t blink. I open my mouth to speak, but I have a feeling she wants something more than a simple exchange of books. I nod. I’d hoped for this moment more than anything else in the last twenty-four hours. I hand her the copy of Les Mis é rables .
    â€œI’ve finished this one,” I say. “The ending is particularly meaningful, I think.”
    With a scrap of metal I’d managed to peel off the underside of my dresser when my lights were out the previous night, I’d used Morse code to scratch out a return message to Remy at the end of the book. You have renewed my hope. Stay safe. Love always. Another unforeseen benefit to the modifications my mother gave me: better memory, enhanced night vision. I used them both to my advantage, pressing marks into the pages by the light of the crescent moon slithering through my window.
    The woman nods. At an angle her face looks even more familiar, but I still can’t place her, and I wonder if I’m making things up. She takes the book and turns away, pulling another much smaller book from the pocket of her staff uniform.