Dark Space - Marianne de Pierres [73]
The guard ignored her.
Mira shouted again—barely a whisper above the noise of the crowd—rattling and kicking the gate now with the last of her energy.
The guard scanned the sea of faces, his face unrecognisable under his hood.
She yelled until her breath came in quick, hard gasps. Hear me! Please hear me!
The guard took a step towards her, staring through the mesh, recognising her fellala as familia.
‘Trinder Pellegrini. The young Principe. He had a ‘bino and an injured child. Did you let him through?’
The guard stiffened, gloves tight on his rifle. He began to walk away.
‘I want the ‘bino back!’ Mira screamed after him. ‘He’s got my ‘bino!’ Tears ran down her face. She clung to the wire, spent, only dimly aware of the crush and the noise.
Around her a chant started up.
‘PELLEGRINI! WE WANT FOOD!’
The chant rippled outward.
Word spread through the crowd. A Pellegrini had been let inside when the whole of Loisa was out here starving. They latched onto a purpose and the focus gave them energy.
A brawny, filthy man on her right shouted in her ear, ‘We’ll get yer little ‘un back for yer.’
The crowd was still chanting. A roar. Mira watched parts of the fence-line ripple under the force of their pushing. Any moment it would buckle and then people would be trampled in the surge. Perhaps some had already. She slapped the big man on his shoulder. ‘They’ll be crushed,’ she screamed into his ear.
He stared down into her face. ‘Too late.’ He gripped the fence, adding all his strength to that of the others.
The guards fired warning shots as the fence rippled again but people were already climbing up it. The guards retreated and Mira glanced at the sky. An AiV lifted from the top of the Carabinere workshop. She strained to see who was inside but the windows were shaded. Intuition told her that Trin was in there—but what of Djeserit and the korm? And what had he done with Vito?
In the next ripple, the chains on the gate broke. Propelled by the bodies behind her, Mira had to run across the yard to avoid being crushed. The doors to the building were barred but in moments people were being hoisted through broken windows.
The crowd divided. Some charged to the back of the compound while others inside unlocked the building’s doors. Mira fell and the brawny man hauled her up on her feet before he vanished into the mob.
Mira stumbled towards the launch pad where one remaining vehicle sat. Others had the same idea as her and they swarmed for the airlifts. The guards sprayed fire down at them and the man next to Mira collapsed, his throat blown wide open. She fell to the floor alongside him, appalled, caught between her instinct to escape and the paralysing horror of his wound. How could the Carabinere fire on their own? How could they do this? The bones of his neck, his blood, and his breath…
She wanted to cry, and to hide from it all, but booted feet jabbed her thighs and stamped uncaring across her back. She forced herself to her feet and circled around a group who were trying to get a land barge started. The pad was empty now—the AiV had left and the airlifts had been abandoned. She climbed onto one and sent it upward to get out of the crush.
All that the Carabinere had left behind on the platform was a pile of worn track-liners and a smashed crate. Mira sank to the floor and stared down at the melee. It would not be long before they realised there was nothing here for them. And then what would happen? Would they leave the town or would they go back to their casas and wait for the Principe to send help? If his Carabinere had deserted it would be a false hope.
Then a faint chittering sound caught her attention. Somewhere close.
‘Korm?’ Her heart beat faster as she glanced around her. Behind the AiV track-liners? Crawling over to them she found the alien ragazza lying on its side, fluid seeping across the mat of its fur. The korm raised its head slowly and stared at Mira with solemn recognition.
‘a,’ the korm chittered softly, trying to form a Latino word.
Mira touched its forearm.