Trapped

what — but something that will solve a problem… answer a question… they think some member of your race may someday provide a bit of knowledge that even the League doesn't have. The creatures of the League are too locked into their own perceptions to see some… something… they suspect there's something they're not seeing, but they're blinded by their very omniscience. And Homo sapiens are at just the right intelligence level: a bit above animals, but not so smart that you genuinely comprehend… you haven't developed a truly logical view of the universe, so you're more open to stumbling on…'

I waited for her to finish her sentence. When she didn't, I said, 'You mean if we were any smarter, we'd see the world in a consistent and rational way… which would prevent us from tripping over whatever the League is after.'

'That's it,' the Lucifer-Rosalind agreed. 'And that's why the League hates tampering with your kind. They don't want to push you in any particular direction. They're afraid of imposing their own biases. So they changed Earth into a venue where your species would have ample freedom to do anything — anything. The only time the League gets involved is when something threatens Homo sapiens so severely that it endangers… whatever it is you have the potential to do.'

'And one such threat is an evil Lucifer being loosed upon the world.'

'Exactly. The League had to prevent that — but as unobtrusively as possible. Heavy-handed interference like voices from the sky or direct warnings might ruin everything they hope for.'

'But not prophecies or hauntings?'

The Lucifer-Rosalind shrugged. 'They don't want to tell humans what to do. They don't want to direct you. They occasionally have to catch your attention; but they never interfere with your choices.' She laid a hand on my arm. 'Everyone who died made a conscious choice. Gretchen chose to leave the prison of her house, pursuing a new life as a sorceress. Myoko chose to abandon her pretense of weakness and use her powers at full strength. Oberon chose to throw himself on Xavier. Pelinor chose to be the one who faced Jode. Need I go on?'

'None of them chose to die.'

'But they knew they were taking risks. Some risks were more obvious than others… but your friends knew the risks were there.'

'And Rosalind?' I asked. 'Did she know she was taking a risk? How could she possibly realize her boyfriend was a killer in disguise?'

'She knew elopement was a risk. Marriage. Love. Sex. Not to mention the risks of angering her mother, and running off to Niagara where she might run afoul of her mother's enemies. But Rosalind chose her path willingly — joyously — and if the result wasn't what she expected, that's just the human condition. Your species has a severely limited ability to foresee the consequences of your actions; and if some more advanced species can tell what's going to happen, you invariably think you're being manipulated… when really you're just being predictable.'

'Thanks so much,' I muttered.

'Don't be upset,' the Lucifer-Rosalind said. 'It's precisely your lack of foresight that makes you valuable to the League. Smarter creatures always pursue their goals in the best way they know how — terribly boring! But you humans are mostly blind to the future, no matter how much you believe you're taking precautions. That's why someday, you might accidentally…'

She stopped. 'I've said enough. And now it's time for me to whisper in Sebastian's ear.'

The creature walked past Annah and me, a placid smile still on her borrowed Rosalind face. She knelt beside the boy; she began to talk softly to him, touching his cheek, caressing his hair. There was no way to tell, but perhaps she was also linking with Sebastian's mind, showing him the same things she showed me. Now that the boy had no nanite shell sealing him off, the Lucifer could touch him directly.

Annah took me aside. 'Do you really think she'll get through to him? He's seen so many false Rosalinds; another might send him over the edge.'

I shrugged. 'If we were on Earth, he'd use his powers to reveal the truth; then he'd probably make the impostor explode. But here, there aren't enough nanites to allow psionic tricks. Sebastian can't send this Rosalind away or make her shut up… so in time, I think she'll find the words to bring the boy to his senses.' I paused. 'After all, this Lucifer is so much smarter than us mere humans, it can say exactly what's required.'

Annah didn't answer right away. Finally, she said, 'Do you think that was really the truth? All that stuff about the League hoping humans will do something or discover something…'

'I don't know,' I said. 'Maybe it's just a lie to keep us happy — to make us think we're important, and that the League isn't controlling our lives. Oh no, we aren't using you as puppets, you're too valuable to tamper with. Or maybe it is the truth… in which case, we'll find out soon enough.'

'How?'

'The Spark Lords will come for us. If the League really told the truth, they can't have us free to tell everyone else what's going on. That would spoil the experiment: ruin the naive spontaneity that the League claims to value in the human race. So the Sparks, acting on League orders, will either kill us or conscript us… like War-Lord Vanessa did with Opal in the tobacco field. We're loose ends now; we have to be tied off.'

Annah made a face. 'I wish you hadn't said that.'

'You'd rather not think about it?'

'No. Now the League has to kill us or conscript us; that's the only way to convince us they weren't lying.'

'Sorry. Didn't think of that.'

She smiled ruefully. 'My Uncle Howdiri — the greatest thief in my family — always had a saying. 'Don't be a little paranoid; worry about everything, or let it all go.' So shut up, Phil, and let's just enjoy the Earthlight.'

Obediently, I shut up.

We held hands.

We drew closer.

We enjoyed the Earthlight.

26: THE END OF THE RAINBOW

A sound caught my attention. Reluctantly, I turned from Annah and saw Sebastian standing a short distance off. He looked shockingly pale, like someone out of bed for the first time after a month-long illness; but the boy was conscious and vertical, his eyes able to focus even if they didn't quite meet my gaze.

The Rosalind look-alike was gone. A girl-sized mass of black slithered back through the dust toward the main heap of cellules. That surprised me a bit — I thought the Lucifer might have remained in Rosalind form to prod Sebastian in case he showed signs of a relapse. But maybe it was wise not to keep reminding the boy of the girl he'd loved and lost: best just to wake him and get out of the way.

Annah released her grip on me. 'How are you feeling?' she asked Sebastian.

'Bad,' he said. 'But I'll live.'

'Did the Lucifer explain everything to you?'

The boy nodded.

'You couldn't have known,' I said. 'There's no reason to feel bad because you were fooled by a monster.'

'That's not why I feel bad.' He took a quick breath. 'Let's get this over with, okay?'

'You know what you're supposed to do?'

'I know what I'm going to do,' he said. 'Back to Niagara. Put things right. Once the cage is working again, we can bring the Lucifer home.'

Home. Interesting choice of words.

I'd tucked the ‹BINK›-rod into my sleeve. Now I pulled it out and held it up. 'I'll go with you,' I said.

'No.' Sebastian gave me a hard look. 'I want to do this alone.'

'You will be doing it alone,' I said, 'but the first few seconds might be messy. The rod likely takes us back exactly where we started — which means the middle of the cage. If the evil Lucifer is still there… well, it'll take your nanite friends a moment to swoop to your rescue. I want to make sure you survive that moment.'

'You think I'm just a helpless kid?'

'No,' I said, looking into his angry eyes. 'After everything you've been through, you aren't a kid. But you aren't a man either — not if you let stupid pride reject a reasonable offer of assistance. A true man knows when he can use help.'

'Oh good,' Annah said. 'Then you'll let me come too. I was afraid you'd want me to stay here until you big strong males made Niagara safe for womenfolk. But if a true man knows when he can use a help…'

I glared at her. She returned a look of total innocence.

'Let's just go,' Sebastian said. 'I'm tired.'

Annah put one arm around the boy's shoulders and the other around me. 'If we're linked together, will we transport together?'

'Only one way to find out,' I said. I raised the rod.

‹BINK›

I expected we'd return to blackness — the utter absence of light that had filled the prison cavern once the laser cage stopped working. But now there were oil lamps burning near the entrance to the chamber: lamps held by eight figures in Keeper robes, shedding enough light to see the entire room. Every last cellule had moved outside the prison cube. They must have wanted to avoid getting trapped if the lasers miraculously reactivated. A mound of them now lay heaped where Dreamsinger had fallen — probably trying to penetrate her armor's force field, or to suffocate her by sealing out fresh air. The mound was much smaller than the original Lucifer heap; the remaining mass had reshaped itself into human figures, those who were now dressed as Keepers. The false Keepers were busy assembling devices near the mouth of the cavern, contraptions of metal and plastic and electronic parts. I assumed the devices were weapons, traps to spring on the first Spark