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Still, I’ lie about me

I push my wi-com and order an all-call

"Attention, all residents of Godspeed," I say The group at the front of the crowd stills Many turn to look at me "As you are well aware, the Eldest systeens I chose to work a little differently froive you the ability to make choices for yourself"

Beep, beep-beep

"Attention, all residents of Godspeed," Bartie’s voice says inover the crowd, straight at me "Elder is not the only one who can control the wi-coave us a choice And for that, I thank him" He bows his head a fraction of an inch in ave you the ability to choose someone other than him"

The crowd’s attention is entirely on Bartie no the frex did he break into the wi-com system? Only a few select members of the crew--me, Doc, the First Shipper--have the permissions needed to do all-calls Bartie must have hacked into the system

I slain another all-call "People of Godspeed," I say in as loud a voice as I can "Calm down This is not the ti, I discovered we are ht We will begin planet-landing--soon Very soon You only have to--"

"LIES!" Bartie roars, not through his wi-com, but froed, and the word expels from him like a rock thrown into the crowd

"It’s not a lie," I insist,over the wi-com "Please, everyone, calm down The mission--"

Beep, beep-beep

"Frex the mission!" Bartie roars into the wi-com all-call system "This is just one more way that Elder wants to manipulate you! Look around you, friends! This--this--is all we have! Godspeed is our ho to reach Centauri-Earth anyave you freedom!" I shout, then reh, Bartie overrides iven you freedom, but think about how much he still controls He makes all the decisions He controls who eats, and how ets what meds--and he is the one who let the poison Phydus back on this ship That was his decision, his choice, and you paid for it"

I remember that day I found him in the Recorder Hall Technical Instruction on Communication Systems And a history of the French Revolution He was probably the one who hacked into the floppy systes differently, would his rebellion have stopped there rather than escalating into a athered around Fridrick’s dead body?

"What about the food?" someone calls from near the back

Bartie pushes back the doors of the Food Distro "Take what you can," he shouts "There’s little left"

And that does it

The people stampede into the Food Distro The s in the front are sh thee so fast that Bartie has to dive out of the way People fight their way out of the building, rolling barrels or hefting heavy sacks of food on their backs Others start fighting the over the contents In the rush, Fridrick’s body flops out of its tenuous hold on the banner, crashing into the ground Thethe body in the rush for food

Fighting breaks out It starts out as shoving as people wrestle their way to the front of the crowd, closer to the food stores Shoves turn into punches, punches turn into brawls Food is forgotten as two er man punches the smaller one in the mouth, and an arc of blood sprays out over the crowd The sht, and soon there are sothat I can’t even find the original two fighters a flesh

I’ve seen the chaos of Sol-Earth from vids and pics on the floppy network But this is different I’m in it here

A wo way!" as a barrel ofat anyone who gets too close to it

"The Greenhouses!" a roup of twenty or so off theto kill every crop we have

I try to do another all-call No one even notices

A round Anotherhis fist into the first man Before I can even respond, two more men enter the fray The wo of produce theits contents--tomatoes and peppers--out onto the street Soetables and start hurtling therows

And then one of theered at the back of the croay fro masses, when I should have run away

"It’s Elder!" he roars "Get him!"

They turn as one, a multi-headed monster ready to strike

"Fire!" soh the s, snaking out around the Follow the leader sign

In the distraction, I run for it As I turn down a side street, I press my wi-com

"Amy," I say as soon as she answers "Get to your room Lock your door" I disconnect before she has a chance to respond

I head straight to the grav tube As I go, I see others running too, hiding, going for their ho, like me, to some kind of shelter A rabs a cleaver and stands in the doorway, daring anyone to attack Another wo her storav tube sucks me up, I see the chaos spread out before me The Food Distro is truly in fla the painted sky above it gray

My eyes adjust slowly on the Shipper Level It seehtness of the solar lamp on the Feeder Level And quieter While the Feeder Level was all boiling action, the tension here feels like a dense fog

Shelby rushes tofor my arrival

"What do we do?" she asks

The entire level seems to come to a standstill as everyone waits for me to answer

"Get the first-level Shippers--e," I say

"But sir--what about the Feeder Level?"

"That’s an order," I say "Immediately"

I stare her down I try to assume the cold, impassive face that Eldest wore so well, the look that demanded obedience I don’t know if I can h Eldest and I share the sae my features--the same as his--into an identical look of power and command, but theon Daddy’s shoes