Page 89 of Freedom Mine
“We could dig your chip out, smash it. A person could live up here in the mountains for a long time,” he said.
“Alone?”
“I’m sure some of the other men have considered it as well. Maybe one or a few would go with you.”
Kayo was getting desperate, or he was still confused as he’d already admitted.
The penalty for being caught in the Empire without a chip was an automatic death sentence. Even outsiders of the Empire elected to have chips inserted before entering Empire territory. Diplomatic papers were too easily lost, destroyed, or stolen to chance one’s life on not having a chip.
A chip ensured safety, if acquired legally and from the authorities. Chips could always be removed once a person left the Empire.
Without a chip, even if one could evade the law, a person couldn’t leave a planet, purchase goods, or walk down a street without risking capture. Scanners existed everywhere, often where least expected.
Armed drones with heat sensors routinely flew over rural areas, shooting targets that registered as human without an accompanying chip signal. No, there was no escaping slavery in the Empire.
“If it weren’t for the drones, perhaps,” she said. “At least you won’t have that worry.”
His head lowered, then he looked away, unable or unwilling to face her. After everything they’d been through, what she missed the most was being able to speak with him, openly and honestly.
“When we’re gone, the men and me, will you go home?” She stopped in the middle of a thickly forested area.
He was surveying the area.
“Why are we here?”
She held out a white cloth. “I need you to trust me,” she said as she held the cloth up to his eyes.
He eyed the blindfold. “Trust isn’t easy.”
“I trust you,” she said.
He caught her hand before she could tie the cloth around his eyes. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
Not trust Kayo? She had been a different person then, one who had had no reason to trust. But he’d been patient with her, he’d treated her as an equal. He’dseenher as an equal. He’d given her a voice again, let her know freedom, even if that would all end soon.
She tied the strip around his eyes, her hand pausing a moment longer than necessary to enjoy the softness of his hair. His entire body straightened as her hand met the base of his head. That rejection from him hurt. Apparently, she hadn’t imagined his reaction to her in the graveyard. She reminded him of everything he wanted to forget.
Learning how to live despite the memories was hard. She couldn’t begrudge him from doing what he needed to do, but she didn’t want to forget her time with him, not a single moment, even the bad ones.
She tied the blindfold and placed his hand on her elbow. “It’s not far. Just hold on. I won’t let you fall.”
“Falling is the least of my worries.”
“Care to explain that?”
“No.”
She forged past the trees, moving slowly, and letting him know when he needed to duck to avoid a branch or step over a log. Within a few minutes, they reached the tree line.
“You know, there are better uses for a blindfold than traipsing through the woods,” he said.
Now that sounded more like Kayo. Maybe she should keep the blindfold on him longer than necessary.
“I’m intrigued. Please explain. Or, if you prefer, demonstrate.”
“I’m not sure you’d like that. Or maybe you would.”
She could swear the corners of his mouth quirked upward in a familiar grin. She ran a finger over his lower lip. His mouth opened, and his tongue met her finger, giving her an exquisite welcome that traveled through to her soul.
