Kingdom of Cages(148)

“No,” said Teal as the superior closed his gloved hand around her arm. “Listen. My name is Teal Trust. I used to live here. My father is a citizen of the Authority, and he retained his rights. That makes me Authority. You can check the records. Please.”

“Your case will be thoroughly examined,” said the woman, but she wasn’t even looking at Teal anymore, and the superior’s pull was too strong to ignore. Her joints began to strain and Teal had to stumble along beside him.

“Look,” she said desperately to the side of his helmet, which was all she could see. “I just want to get a message to them. I belong with the Authority.” She swiveled her head back and forth, trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to her. “I’m not a stationer, not really, not anymore. I just want…” Two people strode through the directorate bulkhead. One was a multibadged individual, some station official, but the other wore Authority blue and commander’s braid.

“Commander!” Teal lunged for the woman and the superior yanked her back, almost popping her arm out of joint. “Please! I’m Authority! My Dad, I’m—I’m one of yours, please, Commander!”

Pain shot through every nerve in Teal’s body, jolting her off her feet. She sagged toward the floor, her head spinning, but the superior hoisted her up with a rough arm around her shoulders.

“Commander Poulos?” said the woman behind the shatterproof. “She says she’s with you.”

Yes, yes, Teal wanted to say, but her mouth wouldn’t move. She wasn’t even sure her tongue was in her mouth anymore.

The commander looked her up and down and then looked into her eyes for a long time. “You’re Authority? What’s your city?”

Teal concentrated and was finally able to make her mouth work. “Atlantis.”

“Atlantis?” The commander frowned. “What are you doing over here?”

“I was born here, but…” The commander’s face grew distant and Teal felt her hopes plunge. “My Dad’s city is Atlantis. His name is Trust. Varish Trust. He’s a shipper.”

The man beside her—the station director, Teal realized with a start— frowned at the commander. “Beleraja…”

The commander sighed. “I know, but if she’s from a shipper’s family, I’ve got to take the plea.” The director looked startled and the commander just shook her head. “There are some things that don’t go away.” The director did not look convinced and Teal’s heart plummeted. But the commander tried again. “Can I use your auxiliary office to run a check?”

The director turned to study Teal. “All right,” he said. “We should find out who we’re dealing with here, I suppose.” He sized up the superior, who was still holding on to Teal’s arm. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I will take her under my supervision.”

“With respect, Director—”

The director held up one hand to cut the superior off. “You will, however, escort us to my office and remain outside until you are dismissed.”

The superior relaxed visibly at this and let go of Teal’s arm. She couldn’t help but notice, however, his hand went straight to his taser and stayed there.

Both the commander and director turned away then and started walking her into the depth of the directorate offices. Her heart fluttering high in her throat, Teal followed.

The station director’s offices were a lot smaller than Teal could ever have imagined. There was just a desk, some chairs, and four video walls displaying a dizzying array of images from all sections of the station. The director touched a spot on the desk and the walls went instantly black.

Director Shontio sat down behind his desk, folding his chapped red hands and resting them on its smooth surface. Commander Poulos motioned Teal to a side door. Throat tight and hands cold, Teal followed her into the next room. This one was even smaller than the director’s public space, and it only had one chair, but it did have a comm terminal.

The commander sat herself at the code board. The motion lit the wall screen. “You said his liege city is Atlantis?” she asked.

“Yes.” Teal came to stand beside Commander Poulos, her palms sweating. She couldn’t believe it. The commander was going to send a message. She was going to find Dad. “How long is it going to take?”

“First I’m going to see what records our ship has on him.” Commander Poulos’s hands moved across the keys, entering a series of commands too quickly for Teal to follow. “We keep pretty good track of the family trees.” A data tree of ships and family names organized by city appeared on the screen. “Varish Trust, I think you said?”