Switching Sides
I shook my head, secretly happy, “Tran...”
He gave me a pleading look, “It was Kris. What did you
want me to do...call for help and get a few men killed?” he shook his head, “Sorry,
Suretta, that’s not how it works.”
I sighed, “I’m supposed to punish you.”
He nodded, looking down, “I know...”
“So what am I going to do? You know me.”
He met my eyes, “I don’t know.”
I sat further back into my chair, “Are we doing what’s
right?”
That had been bothering me since Nikki’d decided that she didn’t
know me.
He shook his head, “I don’t know...anymore. If it were before I
saw Kris I would say yes, but she...”
I nodded, “I know. Nikki did the same.”
We lapsed into silence, thinking about that.
Suddenly the door flew open and Cory, my son, came running
in.
“Mommy, Kiki won’t let me have a turn...” he whined.
I sat forward, raising both eyebrows at Nicole...my daughter...as
she appeared a second later.
“He played forever earlier...”
I looked to Tran, trying not to role my eyes, “Take turns or I’m
going to make you turn it off. And, Nikki, he only played for twenty minutes. You’ve
played for...” I looked at my watch, “Forty-five minutes.” I gave her a level look and she
averted her eyes guiltily. “Now go play, I’m busy.”
Nikki and Cory smiled at Tran, “Uncle Tran let the bad people
get away, didn’t he?” Nikki asked in her typical ‘Daddy said’ voice.
I shook my head, “No, they aren’t bad people, they just don’t
agree with us. Now quit asking your father so many questions.”
Cory watched me for a minute, “Kiki say Daddy got mad at
Uncle Tran?”
I nodded, “Daddy did. But Daddy’s stressed out so the people
who are around him the most get on his nerves.”
“His last nerves...” he agreed, nodding as he talked, “...huh,
Mommy?”
I smiled at him, “Yes. Now, shoo.”
“Okay.”
They disappeared back into the nursery.
“Did you tell her?” Tran asked me.
I shook my head, “I didn’t get the chance...and I’m not looking
forward to it.”
He gave me a wry look, “I can’t imagine why...”
I sighed, getting an idea, “Okay, here’s the deal. You didn’t want
to endanger any one and they’d already gotten the disk copied so you took action to keep
yourself and others safe. This meeting was to discuss what was said and what you think
they copied. No harm done that couldn’t be avoided, and no need for
reprimandation.”
He thought that over as I talked, “Saj or Mich might
object.”
I shook my head, “I’ll talk to them. Saj will understand...but
Mich...” I shook my head, “He’s a zealot, it may be difficult.”
“I already threatened his life. I think he’ll agree with anything
we say...” I was only a little surprised at that, “Besides, he knows the history of the
pilots...we might be able to convince him that that’s the truth. I did point out we were
staring death in the face...”
I chuckled slightly as a thought occurred to me, “Zero-two didn’t
make an appearance, did he?”
Tran laughed, “Zero-five said the same thing.”
I sighed heavily.
Suddenly he was in front of me, looking up into my face,
“Suretta, we have to keep going. We can’t back out...Nikol won’t let us. If, in the future,
we decide to, Nikki will help us...that’s the only thing we can rely on.”
I nodded, then wiped the tears that had suddenly appeared in my
eyes away.
“If I disappear, don’t try to find me unless you’re going to join
me.”
I nodded again, “And if I take the kids and disappear, you’ll
know where I’m going.”
He sighed, nodding.
“You got the story?”
He nodded again, “You want me to get Saj and Mich for
ya?”
I thought that over, then sighed, “Sure. We may as well get this
planted...do you think I could send her a letter?”
He thought that over, “I don’t know how she’d receive it...”
“I’ll mark it. I know she’d respect that.” I smiled finally, liking
the idea of writing her a letter.
Tran also grinned, “I can send one too, can’t I?”
“Just don’t get caught and don’t let it get traced.”
He smiled larger, standing and heading for the door, “Like Nikki
always said, I never get caught.”
Kyeian
