The New Humans

Chapter 26

Ash spent half the night awake. Before finally collapsing, he concluded that, if he wanted to find Crane, he would first have to look for information on Lock. The problem was, while Crane might have been the Living Dead, Lock was actually dead.

Mom was at the kitchen table having breakfast with Rachel. When his sister spotted him, her face broke into a wide grin. "Did you sleep well after the adventures of yesterday evening?"

Ash's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How do you—?"

"Owen texted me and told me everything,"

Ash stared into his cup.

"Why? What happened yesterday evening?" Ash's mother asked.

"Ash went out with a girl, and from what I heard it was an animated evening, full of plot twists." Rachel burst out laughing.

"Quit it," said Ash and punched the table.

"Her name is Miriam," Rachel said. "She's a friend of Owen's. We met her when Ash broke his knee. She's Asian and very pretty."

"Is that so?" remarked Mom with a teasing smile.

Ash didn't answer. They continued teasing him for some minutes, but he didn't give in to their provocations. When his mother and sister grew tired of tormenting him, Mom said, "I'm finally at the penultimate chapter of my book. It will be about the search for Shadow members after the Civil War."

Ash perked up. "A bunch of them were arrested thanks to John Lock, weren't they?"

Mom nodded. She seemed pleased that he was taking an interest in her work.

"How did Lock know so many of them?" he asked.

"Lock sold items that he'd stolen from Numas to his friends in the Shadows. Over time the traffic expanded; he knew a lot of people."

Ash was about to take a bite of toast but stopped. "He must have had help. To steal so much? He couldn't have done that alone."

Mom laughed. "Are you investigating his murder?"

Ash start sweating. Was it a joke or did he have to answer?

"However, yes, he did have a network of collaborators," said his mother. "Mostly children who were able to obtain information about the wealthiest Numas without being noticed. Lock knew everything about everyone. Your father told me that when he arrested him, Lock knew how much savings he had in the bank."

Ash rose, but before he could take a step Rachel said, "Do you feel like coming to the park with me? I was thinking of inviting Owen and Herbert too."

"I don't have time," said Ash.

"Why? What do you have to do?"

"You go along too, Ash," Mom said. "I don't want you staying in the house playing computer games all day. Now that you have new friends, you should cultivate these relationships."

Ash swallowed his disappointment. Damn Rachel and her ideas. He'd been looking forward to spending the day digging around online to find out more about John Lock. Now he had no choice but to wait until he got home.

Ash and Rachel took the subway to the New Hayes public park in the city center. They waited on a bench in the shade for Owen and Herbert. Ducklings swam in an emerald green pond in front of them, and people of all ages jogged around it on a well-kept gravel path. Amused, Ash watched the newly retired sixty-year-olds running in the sun. They were red-faced, sweaty, and their chests were heaving as if they were on the point of fainting. They seemed to be chasing time itself, but it was faster than they were.