“You might find something here.” His smile had lost its warmth, his back stiffened.

The man picked up this and that, shaking his small, close-cropped head. Even had gloves on, not the work kind.

“You have nothing else?” His mutter rose to an impatient whine. “Perhaps in back?”

Daniel spread his hands. “There’s no back here. What you see is what you get.”

Whatever the guy was looking for, it was probably illegal. I was curious to see how Daniel handled it, the legendary Souk black market. Then, through the open doorway, I caught a familiar face, moving by with the bright-lit crowd outside.

Jake.

He slowed like he might turn in to Daniel’s tent, thought better of it and passed on. By then, I was flattened into the shadows behind the bookcase. What was Jake doing here? Way too early for his shift to begin. Were he and Spunk tag-teaming me or something?

Time to be out of here.

Waiting till the coast was clear, I read titles on the shelves across the aisle to calm my jitters. Wow. A whole shelf of books about Mars. The Martian Chronicles, Prelude to Mars, The Sands of Mars, Moving Mars, Martian Time Slip, Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars, The Martian. So many! Wouldn’t old Ellie Mae love that! Too bad I wouldn’t be back. I could’ve borrowed one of those, and she could read it, too.

At last, the creepy guy drew Daniel away from the door. “Let’s see what’s down here.”

When they disappeared behind a tall rack of books, I eased to the front of the tent and peered outside. Still busy, lots of people coming and going. No sign of Jake. I clamped my street cap down low on my head, turned away from where he’d gone, and melted into the crowd.

—

Didn’t stop moving till I got back to the den. So ready for the peace of my bunk. So much to ponder. But there was no peace at Unca Joe that night.

The canoes were back in the Lagoon. A crowd filled the walkway again, oddly hushed, a murmur, not a roar, while the big bell over the entryway clanged like the world was ending.

“What is it? What’s happening?” I nudged the girl in front of me, a recent newbie. Her eyes were wild. “Is there a tsunami?”

“They attacked the crews!”

“Attacked? Who did? Was anyone hurt?”

Nodding frantically, she pointed along the walkway like I was a moron. “Four, five, maybe more!”

Now I saw the rope-and-pulley pallets used as cargo lifts were both over the front rail. “But it was just a drill . . .”

“Snipers! On a roof!”

Snipers?