Children No More by Mark L Van Name

Author:Mark L Van Name [Name, Mark L Van]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Adventure
ISBN: 9781439133651
Google: ks5vQgAACAAJ
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2010-08-03T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

Dump Island, planet Pinkelponker - 139 years earlier

The path from the shuttle landing zone to our cave turned sharply right about six steps from the edge of the large, open flat area. A meter past the turn, it widened enough that four of us could stand side by side and still not touch each other or the rock walls. Shadows darkened the area for all but a few hours of each day, which Benny said meant that if they were watching us from the sky, they could see us only during that brief time. We'd cut long branches, wedged them between the rock walls, and covered them with shorter branches. The area underneath this simple cover never received direct sunlight, so it would, we hoped, shield us from overhead spying.

It was our new home.

Sitting beneath it next to Benny, the two of us briefly alone while Han and Bob and Alex fetched fruit and water, I realized something obvious that had escaped me to that point. "If they're monitoring us from above, they've almost certainly examined this path before."

Benny stared at me and nodded.

"Which means they're sure to notice the sudden appearance of these branches."

He nodded again.

"And even if they've never looked at the path before, if they do spot tree branches connecting two rock walls, they're going to know this is something we built."

"Yes."

"Which means the shelter is useless."

"Not quite," he said. "As protection from the government, yes, it's probably not going to do any good at all. It does, however, make our people feel more secure, and that sense of safety calms them and makes the days pass more comfortably."

"But if it's a lie, shouldn't we tell them?"

"To what end?" Benny said. "They've already heard that the day we attack the guards, some of them are likely to get hurt, maybe even die. You and the others who can fight are training hard, and our plan is as good as we can make it. We might as well let our people have some hope that we can win."

"So the guards on the shuttle will know we're coming for them? We won't have the advantage of surprise that we've been counting on?"

"Maybe we won't," Benny said, "but I'm betting that we will. The reason is that a more accurate version of your statement is that we won't be able to surprise the guards if the government is bothering to monitor us. I don't think they are. The single biggest thing we have going for us is that they're arrogant and think we're helpless. They can't see us as anything other than a bunch of useless freaks that they keep alive because some government official told them there was a small chance one of us might develop a talent they could use." He shook his head. "No, I'm betting they don't bother to watch us now and they never have."

"If you believe that, then why did you even mention the possibility to all of us?"

He sighed. "Because I made a mistake.

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