11

Wenthi left the Damas Kom on his cycle, given a cursory check of his cards once again when passing the checkpoint. He rode with the flow of morning traffic as he wound his way through the 3rd Senja, avoiding the urge to weave and whisk his way around the autos and sedans. At this hour, of course, the streets and traffic circles of the 3rd Senja were so choked, even a corn-burning motorwasp couldn’t find a hole to weave through, let alone Wenthi’s Ungeke K’au.

He wasn’t going to be able to take his cycle on this assignment. Would he need to garage it at the headquarters? At his mother’s? Would Mother want it in her garage with her shiny Kosopém sedan? Would her driver know how to take care of it?

Maybe he should leave it with Paulei.

After the expected checkpoint stops from the 3rd to the 8th, and then the 8th to the 9th, he stopped at the Circle Omes petrol station, where his ration card would be accepted today. Since it was his day, he should top off, regardless. Once he was able to get in line, it only took about ten swipes to get up front. Cycle lines went faster than autos or sedans, and rhique could use most of the pumps. Even still, he let a couple jifoz cycle-couriers go ahead of him. They surely were on the job, needing to get rolling again as soon as possible. Wenthi knew that, despite the things Lathéi and Paulei were saying last night, most of the jifoz working Intown were good, decent folk. Hard-working people, like all the staff at the KT dorm, usually on a tight schedule. Every swipe of the clock hand mattered. All he needed to do was go back to the dorm, eat something, and sleep for a couple sweeps. He could wait a bit longer for fuel.

Topped off, he made his way home, through the weaving streets and tunnels. Part of him felt that, if he was going to go on an infiltration mission, for who knew how long, he should make the most of the day, but he was just too tired. He pulled up to the KT dorm. Guiho ran up to him as he powered down the engine at the cycle post in front of the building.

“Hello, sir,” Guiho said to him. “Do you need me to take your cycle into the covered park? Or shine it up?”

“No, no,” Wenthi said. “But thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Guiho said. “I—I can’t afford to—”

“It’s fine,” Wenthi said. “Where are you coming in from? The 11th? 14th?”

“Ako Favel,” Guiho said. “The 16th Senja.”

Wenthi rarely rode patrol out there. Worst part of Outtown. That had been where the largest of Rodiguen’s purge camps was, as well as his city garrison, and it was bombed the hardest during Great Noble. Still not rebuilt in any way. A complete disaster.

Wenthi slipped a couple coins to Guiho. “Yeah, maybe polish it. If you get the chance.”

“Thank you, sir,”

Wenthi went inside, and realized he was more hungry than tired, and went to the cafeteria. As he came in, Paulei ran up behind him, grabbing him in an embrace.

“Everything all right?” Paulei asked.

“Fine, fine,” Wenthi said. “I . . . they want me for an infil mission.”

“Really? With?”

“With those petrol-stealing cycle gangs.”

“Huh,” Paulei said. “Strange way to ask you.”

“Everything fine with getting Lathéi and Oshnå home safe?”

“Yeah, fine. I radioed Hwokó to come out and help ride them home. Oh, did you see this?”

He handed Wenthi one of the morning newspapers. Someone had gotten a tinplate of Lath and Oshnå at the Fire Chile, with him and Paulei slightly out of focus on the side. The article was headlined LATHÉI IS BACK IN TOWN, DRESSED LIKE A DUMAMÅNG STAR.

“The press always loved her,” Wenthi mused. “She does tinplate pretty well.”

“That’s some truth,” Paulei said. He touched Wenthi’s chin. “Your mother did make some beautiful kids.”

“You’re a little too built up, friend,” Wenthi said. “I need to eat something before I do anything else.”

“Fair,” Paulei said. “So let’s—”

Before he finished that thought, the desk manager ran up to them with a yellow cablesheet.

“Sorry, Mister Tungét,” she said, a little out of breath. “This cable just came for you, declared urgent.”

“Who would send a cable if it was urgent?” Paulei mused.

Wenthi already knew the answer to that, and glancing at it confirmed the answer.

COME TO THE HOUSEHOLD IMMEDIATELY. —MOTHER