We Shadows

Chapter 35: the truth will be set free?

Esperanza stopped in the hall. "We're being better people, right?" she asked. "That means learning to stand up for yourself. You've told off Dashiell, why can't you tell your parents to lay off?"

"Because to them I'll always be sixteen with a hundred hours of community service," Lully told her. "And I am getting better."

She laughed. "Sure, dear. Come on."

They walked hand in hand to his parents berth, and though he had his misgivings, he rapped on the door, mustering up the confidence that Esperanza seemed to have in him.

His madre answered the door, sweeping Lully into a big hug.

"My son, the lieutenant," she laughed. "You're a rascal for not telling your papa and me; what a surprise that was. Still, I'm very proud."

"Thanks?" Lully managed. "I had only found out the day before. I'm still behind on...most of what this new job entails."

"You'll figure it out, you're a smart boy, always have been."

His madre glided back to the kitchen to help set the table. Lully glanced down at Esperanza, in case she was the reason for his madre newfound acceptance. Perhaps she finally thought he was living up to his potential? He didn't want to ask and ruin the moment.

"So? Tell us all about the expedition," Austen said, herding them to their seats at the table. Ford joined them once he brought the vegetable medley to the table.

"Lully took some photos," Esperanza remarked, nudging Lully's side.

"Sunshine! Let's see them! Oh, and that reminds me, I have your new holo-rib."

She jolted from her seat and grabbed a small box from the coffee table to hand to Lully. Lully didn't relish the idea of carrying two holo-ribs with him, but he was glad that perhaps one could be work and the other the rest of his life. He worried that being lieutenant would take his every waking hour.

"Vertov already has his; I promised to get yours to you tonight," Austen explained. "So the photos?"

Lully balanced his holo-rib so that everyone could see the sunsets, the tents and of course, a couple photos of Esperanza when he caught her candidly.

"You have a good eye," Ford noted. "Are you going to print any of these?"

"Exploration is commissioning several large prints," he said. "And I'll probably print one of the sunsets; Esperanza liked the magenta clouds."

"So did you," she teased. "This broccoli is delicious, Ford. It's nice to not have to cook for one more evening; it was a long day today."

"Oh, was it busy out there for you?" Austen questioned. "I didn't hear of anyone getting hurt."

"A couple scraps and bruises, but just Jacques was injured," Esperanza agreed. "Still. It's very different out there."

"I hope they brought the data extenders back," Ford frowned. "I forgot to ask."

The box on the table began to make a weird noise, not the chiming that Lully was used to. He opened the box and picked up his new holo-rib. It had a red streak on it, another strange difference.

"We put some different sounds on it, so you could tell them apart," Austen explained as he answered the call.

"Vertov? What is it?"

"I'm sorry to drag you away, but I need you down at my office." Vertov sounded almost angry and Lully didn't dare protest.

"I'll be there shortly, sir," Lully replied and rose from his seat, wishing he had eaten more than a few bites.

"I'll save you a plate." Esperanza took his hand and squeezed it. "Message me when you're headed back."

"I will," he promised and rushed from his parents' berth.

There could be any number of things that had gone badly, and he didn't want to speculate until he had more information. He strode into the empty printing bay half lit with long shadows. Everyone else had gone home and only Vertov's office was occupied.

"To be young again," Edison remarked as Lully entered. "You made it across the base in record time."

Dashiell was also in the room, immediately putting Lully on edge. What could Vertov, Dashiell and Edison have in common?

"Lully, what can you tell us about the night that Harper was shot?" Vertov asked, and the question sent chills up Lully's spine. "Dashiell says you were involved. What exactly happened that night? "

"Harper called Alcott when he was shot. Alcott called Esperanza to help and Esperanza woke me up," Lully explained slowly, unsure what information they were looking for. "We found him in Julius's berth, lying next to O'Keefe who had been shot and killed. Esperanza and I got Harper to medical and Alcott went after Lincoln and Cameron. I was only involved because I carried Harper."

"Why do you think that Harper was in Julius's berth?" Vertov asked.

Lully grimaced. He was fairly certain that they knew that Harper and Cameron were involved; Dashiell definitely knew that information, but he wasn't sure that anyone in the room knew about Alcott. Still, that wasn't what Vertov was asking.

"From what I've pieced together, Harper knew about the plot to kill Lincoln and the others and was trying to stop it. He wasn't carrying a gun; Alcott pulled the gun off O'Keefe's dead body."

"Wait," Vertov interrupted. "If O'Keefe had a gun, and he was dead, that means there were at least two guns on the base at a time there should have been zero."

"There were five or six guns," Dashiell clarified. "I had them quietly recycled after the incident. Cameron said they had found a gun with each of them. It's why they didn't come to congress; Cameron was worried that more would die if we tried to simply arrest them." He shrugged. "This is why I told the base a lie and blamed it on O'Keefe. I don't think Cameron and Harper were wrong for their part in those murders. I know I feel safer knowing Lincoln is dead."

Lully remembered that Alcott had shied away from the details of that night, especially relating to Harper and Cameron. He had suspected that it was complicated; he had no idea how much so.

"So what do you want to do, Captain?" Edison asked. "I didn't know about the guns; if that is true..." He scowled for a moment, lost in thought.

Lully felt very underprepared for this meeting. He was a little glad that he was here, but he wasn't exactly sure what he contributed. What would he do in the captain's shoes? He was pretty sure that he would talk to Harper and Cameron. He wasn't sure about the two of them being on congress, and would probably put that to a vote: could people who thought murder was the right choice really be trusted to make the right decisions for the base.

"I think that we may have to let it go," Vertov admitted. "Cameron and Harper are too valuable on congress and on this base to condemn somehow. He was shot twice after all, I imagine the recovery from that is punishment enough for both of them."

Edison and Dashiell nodded. Lully disagreed, but was outnumbered, so he nodded as well.

"Merci for telling me this," Vertov told Edison. "And Dashiell, merci. You didn't have to come; I'm sure you'd rather be home with your family."

Dashiell laughed. "It's a madhouse there. Mia has fallen in love with Biscuit, and Teren and she had been tearing up the berth."

The two men left, Lully moved to follow them out, but Vertov gestured at the chair; he wasn't done yet. Lully obeyed, suppressing a yawn. It had been a long day for him as well.

"Are you close with Cameron and Harper?" Vertov inquired.

"I was pretty close to Harper, I thought," Lully shrugged. "I'm not sure how long they had planned these things, so maybe not as close as I thought."

"Don't blame yourself," Vertov told him. "I was just curious. I wonder what other secrets are hiding on the base."

"Truthfully sir, I hope I don't find out," Lully replied.
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