2

KING JONAMON’S COURT

An indefinite time later, Rebel found a cluster of data ports in the center of a tiled courtyard. She had no idea where she was. Someplace midtown, to judge by the gravity.

Jungle birds flitted between crowded boutiques. A sheet waterfall splashed into a shallow pool. By its edge, a vender sold copper coins to throw into the water.

Without her telling it to, Rebel’s body drifted to a data port. Her head felt buzzy and light, as if it belonged to somebody else. From a vast distance she watched her fingers touch the screen twice, programming it for realtime communication. They tapped in an access code, and she wondered who it was for.

A male face appeared in the port. It floated in blackness, with no visual backdrop. Under a painted constellation of five-pointed gold stars, the eyebrows rose in surprise. “It’s been a long time.”

Rebel listened with detached fascination as a shrill, rapid voice from her own mouth said, “I have to hide. I have to crawl under my face and pull it in after me. I have to get away.” Her face began to cry. “I don’t have any money and I can’t trust anyone and I need your help.”

The stranger’s face shifted, startled and alarmed. “My God, what have you done to yourself, Eucra—?”

“Don’t use my name!”

Blank astonishment. Then, another instant shift of expression and the man grinned. “Gotcha, Sunshine.

Listen, my shift has just started, but maybe you should join me anyway. I’m a vacuum bum these days, scraping flowers, nobody’s going to look for you rockside. You think you can find your way to the Labor Exchange using public transit?”

Rebel wasn’t following the conversation at all. Her head nodded.

“Okay, once you get there, go to the Storage and Maintenance gate. Tell them you want work as ascraper—we’re always short-handed; they’ll give it to you.

Mention my name so they put you on the right crew. It’s all piecework; they don’t care diddly-squat whether you put in a full shift. I’ll have them issue you vacuum gear against my account. That clear? Think you can do that?”

Her body took a deep breath. Her voice said, “Yeah.”