Andrea Höst - And All the Stars

"It’s the floor-to-ceiling gaming consoles which put the cherry on the cake," Noi said, nodding at the only wall not papered in an enormous wrap-around mural of Amazon princess against a silhouetted landscape of temples and stars. "This is one little girl who wants to kick ass."

"You or her? But you’re pretty much Wonder Woman already," Pan said, stepping forward to examine the array of games available, and missing Noi’s sudden, painful flush. Noi had backed off from Pan after learning that he was indeed only fifteen, and even the news that it was his birthday soon hadn’t changed her mind. Since Pan didn’t seem to have realised Noi had been pursuing him, her decision hadn’t made a great deal of difference to their interaction, but moments of vulnerability broke through.

"Did you see the lightsabers?" Madeleine asked, to give Noi longer to recover.

"Wai! Guys! Get down here!"

Min’s summons sent them clattering down the stair. On the big television was an Asian woman wearing a strappy top which showed arms with only the occasional patch of non-blue flesh. Her tone was sedately calm, her posture relaxed, and the effect was one of casual conversation. Madeleine guessed the language to be Japanese.

"Why are we excited?" Noi asked.

"It’s one of the possessed. They said she–"

The image flickered and jumped back to a point where the woman was just sitting down. She turned to the camera, and a man began translating in voiceover as she spoke.

"Listen now. I am the Core of the Five of what you may call the Clan Taiee. The Taiee are First in this cycle of primacy among the En-Mott. We come to this world to settle primacy for the next cycle, and to conduct business of our own."

The woman smiled warmly. "Meaningless things to you. Deliver up to us all who are Blue, unharmed. Do not interfere with those who are Green. Neither hinder nor disturb us. Those who do not comply will be reprimanded." The idea of reprimand appeared to delight her. "Should insufficient Blues be delivered to us, the Conversion – the dust – will be released until a sufficient measure achieved."

" Fuck ." Pan, beyond Shakespeare, sat down heavily.

"Our business will take a matter of two of your years. When it is complete, we will depart."

The translation ended, and the screen switched to a non-stained woman. "Further transmissions have been made from four other Spire cities. São Paulo, Mumbai, Shanghai, and New York."

They crossed to the New York transmission, where a skinny black teenager with a shaved head told them that he was the Core of the Five of Clan Na-uhl, who were Fourth in this cycle of primacy.

"We are so completely screwed," Pan said.

"No leaving the city." Noi exchanged a glance with Fisher and Nash, who both nodded.

"People wouldn’t…" Emily began, then shook her head. "I guess they would. I guess…I guess people might even expect us to turn ourselves over."

"They can live in hope." Min waved a tablet computer. "These cities aren’t quite an exact run-down of the most populated cities in the world, but it’s pretty close. And they’re the locations of the tallest Spires. This primacy they’re talking about – they took over our planet to decide on a new pecking order." He was incredulous, losing the mildly-entertained calm he’d displayed till then.

"And business of their own." Nash ran a hand over his eyes. "How very unspecific."

"Two years." Noi tapped the lid of the box the Take Him Away Lady had given her, then absently began to pull loose the bow.

"If they leave in two years, what happens to the people they’ve taken over?" Madeleine asked. "Do they keep them? Or unpossess? Dispossess?"

"Not a gamble I’m willing to take." Noi lifted the lid off the box, revealing a colourful array of cupcakes, exquisitely decorated. She held one up, studying piping work so delicate it was like lace. "Well, she knew just the thing to give to a Blue. And it’s a nice illustration of our primary problem – we all eat like horses. We’ve enough food for a few months, particularly if we collect everything in the other North Building apartments, but two years is going to mean a lot of scouting forays."

They debated longer-term options. Staying at Finger Wharf. Finding another location in the city or outer suburbs. Trying to hide in a countryside fearing a second release of dust. Getting out further, to an island, or Spire-free Tasmania. But for now, not knowing the abilities of the things calling themselves En-Mott, or the position the uninfected would take, they could only stay and watch.

Pan reached suddenly and turned the sound up on the television and they all turned to see freckles, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes.

"…the Clan Ul-naa," a familiar voice said. "The Ul-naa are Hundred and Fifth in this cycle of primacy among the En-Mott. We come to this world to settle primacy for…"

Pan muted the sound again, and then threw the remote at the television. It bounced, and the batteries flew free, but no-one made any move to rescue it. Noi’s shoulders had hunched, Emily was trembling with anger, Fisher withdrawn, and Min uncertain. Nash–

"Are you okay?"

A grey tinge marred the warmth of Nash’s finely cut features, and his usual grace had leached away. Pan turned sharply, and sucked in his breath: "Damn, it was Gav’s day, wasn’t it? Why didn’t you say anything?"

"Testing limits." Nash lifted one hand, failing to hold back a tremor. "It is a pitiful thing, to be so dependent. I would not last a day alone."

"Here."

Pan held out his hand, but Nash moved his own away. "We’ve already established that two days together is an excellent way to knock you to pieces."

He turned his head toward Fisher, but stopped when Madeleine held out her hand.

"I’ve nothing if not energy to spare," she said. "Do I need to do anything in particular?"

Nash hesitated, then said: "Not at all. Thank you."

"Shall we go clear more space in the hidden room?" Fisher asked, and led the others away, leaving Madeleine with an uncomfortable impression she was about to do something intimate.

She studied Nash’s hand, admiring the clean lines, then suppressed a murmur of surprise at the warm sensation which swept through her.

For some reason she’d expected it to hurt, and on one level it did, but the way running too fast down a hill hurt: a plummeting exhilaration. She was suddenly lit up all over, intensely aware of the roil of power inside her, and a complex passage of strength from her to Nash. And even more aware of him, as if she was in two places at once. She watched his stars growing bright, and trembled.

He fetched her cupcakes and super-sweetened hot chocolate, and carefully ignored her pink-cheeked confusion, and by the time her mug was empty she’d recovered and was able to be amused at how he was energetically striding about, tidying things up.

"You’d probably best take first watch," she said. "You’ll never sleep after that."

Nash agreed, and then made sure she was able to get up the spiral staircase without falling over. It wasn’t quite yet sunset, but Madeleine was more than done for the day. After a quick shower in her room’s en suite, and several futile attempts to reach Tyler, she removed her phone’s battery, and dreamt of running.

Someone – Noi, most likely – had come into Madeleine’s room overnight and arranged a tray of snacks and drinks on the bedside cabinet, so when piercing hunger woke her in the pre-dawn grey she needed only to sit up. Once the first urgency was met she noticed the cold, and escaped to another warm shower and an attempt to manage her hair.

Descending to the main floor, she found the lounge dark except for the glow of the muted television, and the clear, pale note provided by a vast, water-lapped sky. Pan was sitting in the open doorway to the patio, legs curled against his chest, chin resting on his knees, staring out at the water. He looked cold, small and defeated, all his mercurial energy drained.