Earthseed

Are there really people there?”
    “I told you there were. You should have listened to me, and none of this would have happened.” Caleb would still be alive, and perhaps Willem as well. She swallowed, relieved that Caleb was dead, and hated herself for thinking it.
    “I didn’t say anything about the corridors to Caleb,” Ho said. “They still have Manuel back there, though. They could beat a lot of information out of him. Are you sure you can trust those other people?”
    “No,” she said. “I think I can, but I’m not sure. What’s the difference? We can use their help against the Earthpeople, and then deal with them later if we have to. Better to have them on our side instead of having both groups against us. Isn’t that the way you think?”
    “Take my light—you might need it.” She tucked it into her belt. “You’d better take the long way, through the woods and around the lake. They might start searching the plain.”
    She hurried across the bridge, refusing to look down. When she reached the other side, she turned her head and caught a glimpse of Ho running along the other side of the chasm. He lifted a hand, then disappeared among the trees.

18
    A bird sang overhead. Other birds answered, a few with caws; some twittered.
    Zoheret stirred and opened her eyes. Through the branches of the tree in which she had slept, she saw light; she had slept not only all night, but also through dawn. She shook herself, then climbed down from the tree. She had not intended to sleep for so long.
    Her legs were stiff, her throat dry with thirst. She had no time to search out a stream. After stretching and bending to relieve her aches, she hurried on her way.
    She hoped that Ho’s gang had camped out near an entrance; they might have made it into the corridors by now if they had. Ho had not told her where his encampment was even after indicating that he would trust her, and again she felt suspicious. But Ho was being practical. If she did not know where he had gone, she could not betray him to the Earthpeople if she was caught.
    She strained, forcing herself forward.

    When she reached the edge of the woods, she hid behind a bush while surveying the hill ahead. No one was in sight. Gathering her strength, she sprinted toward the entrance, darting from side to side, and came to the door.
    The door did not open.
    She pressed her hand against the smooth surface, then pounded on the door, kicking at it with one foot. She knew that there were manual controls as well as automatic ones, but she had never had to use them. She had never paid much attention to Ship’s workings or the detailed blueprints on its screens. Stepping to one side, she ran her hands along the edge of the door. Her fingers brushed over a small button and the door slid open.
    She rushed into the empty corridor, then turned. The door was still open. As she searched for the button on this side, she heard Ship’s voice.
    “Help.”
    “Ship? What’s the matter?” She found the button and the door closed.
    “Help me.” It was Ship’s tenor voice, but it sounded weak. “Help me. What is happening to me?” The voice rose to an alto.
    Zoheret ran down the corridor.
    “Help me. I am blind, I am deaf. What has gone wrong?” The voice echoed through the halls, becoming a wail. “I cannot see, I cannot hear.”
    The dining room door was open; she ran toward it. “Is anyone here?”
    Aleksandr emerged, Yusef just behind him. Their faces were tense with fear. “Help me,” Ship cried out again.
    “What’s going on?” she asked the two men. Others were gathering in the hall; she recognized Kieu and Maire. Kieu hurried toward her.
    “I don’t know,” Aleksandr said nervously. “It just started. Ship’s lost its sensors, it seems.”
    Zoheret sagged against the doorframe. “Now I know. They’re shutting it down. I should have known they’d do that first.”
    Kieu grabbed her by the shoulders. “Who’s shutting it down?”
    “Some people from Earth hid themselves aboard—even Ship didn’t know about them. They took over our settlement. They’re shutting Ship down. They’ve blocked its sensors already, and they must have shut down some of the automatic functions, too. They’ll go for its cortex. We have to stop them.”
    “How?” Yusef said.
    “You’ve got weapons, don’t you?”
    “Some of us have stun guns.” Aleksandr straightened, as if ready to take control. “But we only have a few. We didn’t think we’d need