Fifty-six

 

It didn’t take long for the location program to notify Flint that it knew where most of the Peyti clones were. At least, the ones that were lawyers. Lawyers had to bill for each waking hour, which meant they kept track of every single moment they worked. Most law firms used the same program. Once Flint got into that program, he could track a bunch of them, provided he had their names.

He had the names of four-hundred-and-eighty Peyti clones. The problem was, he still couldn’t find the other twenty to thirty that he knew were on the Moon. And as DeRicci said, the takedown had to happen with all of the Peyti clones at once. If the security teams missed just one clone, then a dome might get destroyed—again.

No matter how many casualties there were, no matter how few casualties there were, another destroyed dome would demoralize the Moon’s population. The very idea made Flint’s heart sink.

He had no idea why anyone would target the Moon, and he knew DeRicci was right: that was a question for another day. On this day, he and DeRicci and everyone else had to prevent another devastating attack.

Popova had left the room to set up the complicated conference that DeRicci needed to have in just a few short minutes.

Flint had already sent word to some of the best techs in the building. They would meet him in DeRicci’s office while she was having her conference. With luck, he and the others would find the remaining clones.

But what he was most worried about was that one or two or five of those clones had been smart enough to stay away from security cameras, and weren’t lawyers or interns or law students.

He was afraid of clones who couldn’t be tracked.

He also had one other worry, considering the names he had found in the Earth Alliance bar database. There were dozens of clones not on the Moon itself. Had they washed out? Given up?

Did they work for firms that didn’t use the tracking program? Did they work off the grid?

Or were they planning another attack elsewhere?

DeRicci stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the creepy Peyti faces, working on a pad as if none of this bothered her. She managed to shut off everything.

Flint was having a tougher time. He didn’t want to think about Talia, and yet he couldn’t stop doing so. He was glad she was in school, but he wanted her here, where he could keep an eye on her.

He also wanted her brain. She would help him as no one else could.

Only he didn’t want her to travel here. He felt that being out in the open right now would be worse than being in Aristotle Academy or the Security Building itself.

He really wanted to go get her, but he knew the best thing he could do was remain here and work, neutralize the threat so that she wouldn’t even know she had been in any danger.

Only he couldn’t do it all alone.

“Noelle,” he said, “I need your attention for one minute.”

She raised her head, her hand still clutching the pad. She frowned at him, and he wasn’t sure how much of her brain was here, and how much of it was planning the takedown of all those Peyti clones.

“There are dozens of clones not on the Moon,” he said.

“I know,” she said. “We can’t worry about that.”

“We have to worry about it,” Flint said. “We don’t know what they’re going to do.”

“It’s not an immediate threat, Miles. We—”

“I know,” he said. “Which is why I propose we bring the Earth Alliance investigators in on this. We can have them take this information to the Alliance. Your Peyti friend couldn’t do it, and you’re busy with this. Let them do it.”

DeRicci shook her head. “There’s too much evidence that the Earth Alliance is involved. We can’t trust them, Miles.”

He was prepared for that argument. “It’s not going to hurt. If we don’t tell them anything, there might be attacks off-Moon. If the investigators don’t inform anyone, the attacks will happen anyway. If they actually do their job, then we might be able to prevent those attacks as well.”

“And if they warn the Peyti clones?” DeRicci asked. “The ones here?”

“It’s on me,” Flint said.

“You’re willing to risk Talia’s life for that?” DeRicci asked.

It was a low blow, but an effective one. DeRicci knew how to get to his heart with one quick question. Did he trust those two investigators enough to risk an attack on the Moon?

He had to think. His heart was pounding. He hadn’t realized that until now.

“I trust Goudkins,” he said after a moment.

“All right then,” DeRicci said. “Bring—her? Him? I forget which one that is—”

“Her,” Flint said.

“Bring her in, but don’t let her tell the partner. Can we shut down her links?”

“I can,” Flint said, “but that’ll make contacting her people at the Alliance tougher.”

“We have to minimize risk,” DeRicci said, but her attention had already gone back to the pad.

She was right. Flint had to minimize risk. He could shut down the links for most anyone who might ruin the operation that DeRicci was trying to set up.

He sighed and sent for Goudkins. He hoped to hell she could get someone in the Alliance to listen to her.

Because if she didn’t do it, if he couldn’t find all the clones, if DeRicci couldn’t get law enforcement Moonwide to cooperate, this would be a very bad day.

Worse than Anniversary Day ever was.

And he didn’t want to even try to imagine that.