Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 142 by Neil Clarke

Author:Neil Clarke [Clarke, Neil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: chinese, clarkesworld, magazine, novelette, science fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction And Fantasy, science fiction magazine, short fiction, short story
Publisher: Wyrm Publishing
Published: 2018-06-29T04:00:00+00:00

4

Outside, an airship roared, and police poured through the open door of Club Poison, shouting and barking orders. Yaya acted on instinct, snatching the chain off the floor before taking cover in the back.

Every club had a back door. Yaya slipped behind the bar and felt around for a moment until she found it, then ducked inside and hid. She was covered in blood and brain matter from head to toe, and her white wings were stained red. There was no way she could fly back in such a state without attracting attention. She readied a neural assault pulse for the police; if she were discovered, the explosive shock to their networks would temporarily paralyze them while she escaped.

Fortunately, however, the police’s sole target was Jianying, and after a cursory search, the officers departed. It was not until they had gone and Yaya emerged from her hiding place that she recovered from her shock.

The police truly had been pursuing him. Not just pursuing—they’d shown flagrant disregard for proper arrest procedure. Their minds were made up against making an arrest long before they gunned him down.

Jianying was dead.

The fact staggered her.

And under such fishy circumstances! Why would the police shoot him dead? Had he been telling the truth? Did he get himself killed just so Yaya would help him? What the hell did he want her help with?

Countless questions, and yet none shook Yaya harder than the fact of Jianying’s death itself. This once cheeky, joyful man, whom she had loved and hated, had met his death because of her cruel remarks.

Finding a bathroom in the club, she gave herself a quick wash, dried her clothes and wings, and made a hasty exit. The police would soon return to handle the aftermath, and she absolutely could not afford to stay longer.

Yaya leapt from the doorway, wings tucked close to her body, and plunged headfirst toward the ground. She unfurled her wings at the last second, skimming perilously close to the pavement. Then, some tens of meters away, she caught an updraft that carried her skyward once more.

Only then did she dare reconnect to wireless. Yaya scoured the web for information on Jianying and the Liberators, but it was all old news. Time and again they alleged that the government was exploiting slaves at a secret base, and time and again the government came out to refute the rumor. Beyond that, there was little out of the ordinary. She could find no information whatsoever about Jianying.

Rumors about the surface, however, littered the web. Posts on more than a few discussion boards claimed that the radiation on the Earth’s surface had returned to normal, and that humans could survive there. These posts went as quickly as they came. It was not unusual to click on a post title only to find a broken or dead link.

It took Yaya a good ten minutes to fly back to her apartment. When she landed, she felt as though all the strength had been drained from her body.

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