I know he could have arranged it – that had been the plan – but every unnecessary complication in a plan is another opportunity for failure and discovery, so this is a deft sidestep. Plus, it isn’t easy to sneak a drone transport into Sector 1, especially the estates. He would have had to fake a delivery somehow.
My brain plots ahead. Once we get to the market, I’ll slip out from Sarah’s company, duck the ship I’m currently in, and finally rendezvous with Darr at The Stag.
I clench my jaw three times.
The transponder vibrates ever so slightly, letting me know that the message was sent out.
Wherever he is, Darr now knows that I’ve located the watches. If push comes to shove, I can clench it three times more for an emergency transport, or to let Darr know my location.
Through the glass windows, I see we’re finally leaving the luxurious residential area where the Aurelian’s estate overshadows all the other luxurious homes and manors that surround it. Down below, I see the other palatial manors and huge estates fade into the distance as we begin entering the business sector of Deemak’s capital city.
The buildings here are still traditionally low – kept that way to promote traditional architecture and the ‘character’ of Deemak.
Ironically enough, the taller and more modern buildings on this world are generally an indication of poverty. The middle class of Sector 2, for example, live in tall, homogenous high-rises packed full of people standing up to ten stories high. The upper middle class of Sector 2 have their low homes, shorter and nearer to the border of the most affluent Sector. In Sector 1, the tallest building can only be three stories tall; and then they tend to be luxurious restaurants or exclusive malls.
Down below, I catch a glimpse of the market ahead, bustling and welcoming. It’s so different from the Sector 4 markets I most frequently stole from as a kid, and yet it’s the same, all at once.
Sarah smiles, warmly and honestly.
“We’ll forget about everything when we taste those croissants, Mia! Did I mention they’re filled with molten chocolate? Oh, there’s so much for you to see.” She’s bouncing up and down on her seat. “They have a tea merchant who brings his goods straight from Oasis – you have to taste his iced tea.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I’m tempted to let her show me around the market when we land. Certainly, there couldn’t be any harm in it. The Aurelians won’t be back for hours.
No!
It’s foolish. It’s stupid.
…but I suddenly want to hang on to this life for a few moments more, and I make the decision to do so, no matter how badly my fight or flight instinct screams flee!
The little white shuttle finally touches down in a docking bay. The doors hiss open. Sarah leaps out with a skip in her step, so joyous to be alive.
I follow her down to the ground, and the ship door hisses closed. The white vessel hovers upward, soaring overhead to hang high above us like a fat, white bird.
“The Aurelians pay out the nose to be allowed to fly their ship autonomously in Sector 1,” Sarah snorts. “But they want us to be protected.”
“I feel safer already,” I answer back, keeping an eye on the ship as it hovers thirty feet above us. With all the cameras and sensors I noticed when we climbed aboard it, paired with a state-of-the-art AI control system, I know it can track us easily. Dodging that ship will be tough.
My brain races. I’ll have to make my way through places it can’t see.
But I’ve done it before, and I’ll do again. If I have to rush at breakneck through shops and alleys to get beyond the range of its cameras, I’ll do it.
Like back when I was a little girl – staring up at the succulent fruit hanging from the trees in the luxurious residential neighborhoods of Sector 2, wondering how to climb up and grab them – I am almost excited at the challenge.
I’ll get away from the shuttle’s watchful, hawk eyes – somehow.
Again, Sarah remains oblivious.
“Gods, I love the market,” she beams, leading me toward them. “It’s my happy place.”
“I thought the wardrobe back at the manor was your happy place,” I grin at Sarah. She giggles.
“I can’t have two happy places?”
I can’t argue with that.
We stroll toward the stalls and market stands. The stolen wristwatches might be heavy in my pockets, but I feel light around Sarah.
I take a deep breath, tasting the spicy meats and succulent fruits being sold.
“Maybe this is my happy place, too.”
We walk through the busy streets. Men are rushing to and fro all around us, wearing the traditional light, linen suits that are popular among the elites of Sector 1. The sidewalks might be full – but when the men look at us, and their eyes drop to the bright sapphire necklaces around our necks, they instantly move aside; as if we’re lions striding down the street.
Everyone in Sector 1 seems to know who we belong to, and they give us a wide berth.
It’s an intoxicating feeling. Without the necklace, I’d be invisible. In fact, I pride myself on being able to slip in and out of a crowd unnoticed. Now, I get looks of respect – and yet the slightest tinge of fear.
It occurs to me that I’ve never seen the Aurelians become angry before – but, if they did, there’s not a man who could stand up to them.
Will they become angry when they find out what I’ve done?
“This way, this way,” Sarah grabs my wrist, pulling me to the right. The marketplace suddenly stretches out in front of me.
