Negotiated Fate by Rebecca M. Zornow

Author:Rebecca M. Zornow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, Sci-fi Duology, Space Opera
Publisher: Rebecca M. Zornow
Published: 2023-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

D-68

The Forest

He crouches in the tree above the two humanoids. His, Lozen, watches the other type on a device. It clacks with each keystroke. The man does not know D-68 is there—D-68 is proud he can tell their males and females apart now. The human didn’t even look up in the trees when he followed Lozen to the meeting spot. A thing called a squirrel mammal chitters two trees over. Their voices drift up to him even though they are trying to be quiet.

“You’ll have to tell me at some point why you two are fighting,” the man says, still typing, not looking at Lozen.

D-68 thinks his tone is disrespectful to Lozen. He doesn’t like it.

“Can’t you accept that it’s personal?” Lozen replies. “I know you can hear me complain through the walls about that weird hair growing on my chin, but you don’t have to know everything about me just because we’re neighbors.” Lozen paused. Her voice went weak. “She’s mad at me. Probably always will be.”

The typing fingers go quiet. “But why would that mean you can’t stay in your fucking house? We haven’t seen you for days and then suddenly you hustle me out of the jumpoko to ask a favor. Lozen, my mom is really worried. Everyone is really worried about you.”

Lozen sighs. “It’s complicated. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to help me any more than you can by sending this video file.”

The man shakes his head irritably but continues typing. D-68 has no need to adjust his bent knees or grip on the branch hanging near his head, but he would like this to be done. Once this is over, everything will be different. Everything will be better.

For the past three nights, he and Lozen filmed Leggs’s operation as well as they could in the dark. They got clear recordings of the crates the first two nights and shaky ones of the unconscious humans being transported, five of them. Lozen’s breath came fast that night. He had to pull her back as they watched members of the Catchment being taken away. It would do no good if the two of them got themselves killed. They were too small. They were already doing what they could.

With this Jerramy.

D-68 watches as carefully as he can in the dim but growing morning light. Fortunately, the screen lights the strange male’s face. He watches the fuzzy fibers above his eyes and the nose closely. He is agitated at the thought this stranger may want to hurt Lozen. D-68 will not let that happen.

“Okay, it’s set up. Where are we sending it?”

“Just give it here.” The two Earthlings hiss at each other some. It seems difficult for Lozen to communicate with others not aggressively. Lozen wrestles the small computer away and peers carefully at a scrap of paper. The man typed quickly, but Lozen’s fingers clack painstakingly at the device as she types each letter of what D-68 knows is Agent Tril’s second name. Lozen described the hidden second name as a way for select people to get in touch with an individual.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.