Free Spear of Light by Brenda Cooper Page B

you have any more information?” he asked her.
    â€œNothing good. Manny’s not answering. Two of the other rangers were conscripted by the Port Authority. They declared a state of emergency.”
    Jean Paul grunted. “Has anyone found Manny?”
    â€œNot yet. He may be holed up in his house.”
    â€œOkay. Keep us posted.”
    â€œI will.”
    From time to time, Jean Paul tried calling Manny but got no answer. After three failures, he showed her how to do it, and then had her give up after three more failures.
    Eventually the lights of Nexity shone over the horizon and grew quickly dominant, the whole fabulous marvel of the Wall glowing with inner light. No wonder the people were upset. The Deep had gone from being the strongest force in the solar system to one under threat from an outside force, but Lym had been invaded.
    A building burned. The wild arcs of flame crawled up her spacer’s nerves, but Jean Paul merely grunted. Even from this distance it was possible to make out the squat, squarish figures of robotic firefighters, and she had the irrational hope that the people recognized that they, at least, were not Next.
    She tried to reach Manny again and got no answer.
    Jean Paul broke his long silence. “Close your eyes.”
    She obeyed. When she opened them, the inner and outer lights of the skimmer had come on, and it was much harder to see the town clearly, even though they were flying right into it. As they neared the town center, streetlights revealed more people, mostly traveling in small groups. Here and there, light glinted on weapons. In a place full of predators, the average person had far more deadly capabilities than almost anyone on the Deep. “I’m glad Charlie kept Cricket with him.”
    â€œMe, too. Manny’s place is just ahead. I’m going to just fly in there like we belong. Hang on in case I need to change that plan at the last minute.”
    He looked grim, his eyes wide and wild. She watched out the window as they flew low and fast over streets that were now full of people and, here and there, bicycles. Most people were going inward, but a few struggled to go the other way, some tugging children behind them.
    People mobbed against a fence around Manny’s house. At one end, the fence had been torn free, and a few people at a time streamed through, chanting and calling. Jean Paul muttered under his breath, “They’re on the landing pad.”
    A fire licked up the edges of one wall of the house. Two people tried to smother it, as a small mob lit more fires. She had been there; it was a beautiful place. The senselessness of the violence sickened her.
    Beside her, Jean Paul clenched his jaw so tightly it was white as bone, and a small mewling sound escaped his tightly closed lips.
    Someone pointed at them, and then someone else. Something pinged hard against the skimmer’s metal skin.
    Jean Paul pulled up quickly and banked right.
    No one else shot at them, but then there were other skimmers in the air, and they might not be identifiable as friend or foe. Nevertheless, he banked hard enough to throw her against the door and took them toward the spaceport.
    Out on the tarmac, every possible light shone; night was like daylight. Uniformed human Port Authority guards stalked the grounds. She leaned into Jean Paul. “Is this smart? Didn’t Gerry say the Port Authority supports the rebels?”
    â€œThere are no smart choices,” he growled. He landed them smoothly next to another skimmer with ranger markings and started turning things off in measured order. Except for his shaking hands, he seemed eerily calm.
    They climbed out. He locked the doors behind them and walked quickly but with control toward the main spaceport building. They saw no one. “I expected it to be more chaotic here,” he said.
    She nodded, afraid to make noise, wanting to tell him to whisper. His deep calm infuriated her.
    Their steps echoed.