Of course, the Earthers didn't trust their own army, and Tana wasn't sure why that hadn't occurred to her before now. Why would any Earther trust another at all? Look where it led!
Ret had taken them hiking up the mountain in the snow. They'd left behind any sign of other humans, though creatures startled Tana sometimes. The first time she let out a girlish scream that startled animals (Ret said they were elk), her companions, and something up in a tree that shrieked in protest.
Tana had landed on her ass in the snow. So had Krisin and Lisel.
"As good a place as any to rest," Ret decided. "We have trees between the hotel and us. We won't stay long."
Tana had started to stand. She sat back down.
"Why don't you trust your Earth Guard?" Lisel asked.
"I might have trusted them if I weren't with you three," he admitted. "But even before I left the force, the ranks were infested with people like those idiot wannabe terrorists down below. You simply cannot trust them to be reasonable."
"We should warn Captain Dundas," Tana suggested, a hand on her pocket comp.
"She already knows there is trouble," Krisin pointed out. "Don't risk giving us away. The military will have equipment listening in."
"True," Ret agreed. "Best that we just get out of sight for now."
"I want my fighter," Tana mumbled, but she stood when the others did.
She did not expect Tom to make a slight sound of surprise and fall face down in the snow.
They all threw themselves down and listened intently to anything that wasn't a breeze through the trees. The snow didn't fall quite so hard now, at least. Tana heard nothing, though.
"No one around," Krisin announced. He even sniffed the air. "Whatever is wrong --"
"Breathing problem," Ret said with a wave of his scanner. "Fool. The air is thin up here, and all this rushing around -- come on, Tom. Wake up. I've got something that will help. You should have stayed --"
"No," Tom said, his voice shaky as he forced himself to sit up. "No. Didn't dare let Sally or her ... her companions ..."
"Hold on," Ret replied, one hand on the man's shoulder and the other rooting through his bag again.
"They didn't dare get you any more than they should catch us," Lisel said, his head tilted slightly as he looked Tom over. "Who are you?"
"Councilor Jakeville's son," he replied. He gave a shaking wave of his hand. "You won't know --"
"That she is one of the top twenty influential people on Earth?" Lisel replied and startled Tom and Ret. "We fight to keep Earth safe, you know. It doesn't hurt to know what we're fighting for in those battles. The colonies still look to Earth for direction, if not for instruction. The attitudes of a few people shouting and throwing explosives is not all there is to this world."
Tom blinked a couple times. "Thank you. And don't worry. My condition is not that serious and more an annoyance."
Ret nodded agreement, but Tana still kept an eye on him as they began to stand again. She did not understand the whole meaning behind Lisel's words, but she did recognize Jakeville's name. The woman was one of the few people openly supportive of the colonies and had good relationships with them.
The Councilor had also led the front on the fight to stop the military from killing off the Catchin they had already created and decided they didn't want or trust after all.
Tana helped Krisin to his feet. The Catchin watched Tom with a look of near adoration.
"I met you once when we were both very young," Krisin said.
Tom grinned with delight. "I didn't think you would remember, but when I saw your name, I got myself a place on the Greeting Community just to see how you were doing."
"Why did none of you use your full names?" Tana asked.
"That was part of our instructions," Tom explained. They were moving again, and he spoke quieter. "Someone setting this up decided that because none of you use more than one name -- in fact, it is common with colonists -- that it would sound rude and pretentious as if we were using titles."
"Huh. And yet these people sent Sally along."
"There is no logic in committees."
"It must be a human thing," Lisel added. " They certainly haven't helped us at any point out in the colonies."
"Or maybe it's just dealing with colonial fighters that worries everyone," Krisin added. "Or, more likely, it's just dealing with Tana."
Ret made a sound of amusement. Before Tana could say anything, he veered off to the right and began to move a bit faster. Tana thought they must be near somewhere, and she certainly didn't see anything.
He headed straight for a huge downed tree covered by a large dune of snow. Tanathought they would have to climb over it, and Tana really didn't think she had the energy --
A line of light appeared, and then a door. The air around it filled with steam, promising warmth on the other side. Ret didn't have to warn them to hurry. In a moment, they were gathered into the warm interior, a small room lined with shelves and stacked with equipment, papers, books -- a crowded room with nowhere to even sit down.
"Just hang your coats on the hooks," Ret said with a nod toward the door.
Then he pushed a spot on the opposite wall, and a door opened into a vast, submerged room with furniture, light, and the promise of places to sit down.
She hung up her coat and cautiously crossed to the opening.
"Places like this don't suddenly appear out of nowhere," she said, looking back at Ret.
"It was a survival camp for a group of people who feared the end of the world." Something exploded far down the mountainside. "Let's get inside."
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