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"Up and about, all but a few of them. Not quite ready for a marathon, but youwouldn't be walking into playing nurse or anything."
"I mean how's their attitude? To you and your plans. To these stories of Blues killingGreens."
All four of them hesitated, which was answer enough.
Noi sighed. "Look, I'm all for teaming up, community, good company,whatever. But even if nothing elsehappens we're facing a world divided into three parts. The uninfected. People doing Kermit imitations. And people who can gut cars. Some of whom seem to think they've beenpromoted to the top of the heap. Give Maddie's cousin another couple of days and then we'll comeover, but we need to think contingency plan."
"Fair point," Fisher conceded. "Any suggestions?"
"If nothing else, we'll try to find the keys to some ofthe spectacular array of boats lined up outside. Some of those things are practically floatingmansions. Driving out of the city to anyof the surrounding towns would mean competing with the thousands who've alreadydone that – and potentially being isolated and locked up for being Blue. Not that I have the least idea of how todrive – or is it pilot? – a boat, or any suggestions on where to go. But it's a first step."
"Nash knows boats," Pan said.
"Sailing," Nash corrected, but they all stood andwent out on the balcony to survey the gently bobbing array.
Madeleine stayed where she was, just turning so she couldwatch them. Fisher was self-contained,withholding judgment, while Gavin was clearly more optimistic, reassuringEmily. Nash's shoulders were slumped,and Pan was keeping a concerned eye on him. He reached up and put a hand on the taller boy's shoulder, and Nashseemed to gain strength from the gesture, straightening, but then moved away.
Noi came back inside, face pensive, but gri
"Do you really think it'll turn into a Blues versusGreens kind of thing? Particularly atthat school – they saved lives there."
"I don't think it's inevitable," Noi replied. "I just think it's..." She paused, deliberately inspectingMadeleine's glimmering legs. "Ithink it's human."
Chapter Seven
"Morning, kiddo."
"Tyler!" Madeleine almost dropped the phone. She settled for depositing her shoulder bag on the floor, and sittingbeside it. "I'm – I'm soglad!"
His bubbling laughter enveloped her. "So am I. You didn't sound too hot last time wespoke."
"Are you okay? Are you–?"
"Now in technicolour? Very much so. Embarking on abrave blue world, or what have you. Haveyou noticed the potential for a soundtrack?" he added irrelevantly. "Blue Hotel. Blue Velvet. So many songs, such a dreadful wealth ofpuns."
"Where are you?"
"At a hotel, just by the airport. We walked here after the stain began to show."
"Do you want me to come pick you up? I, um, found your car keys."
"Did you? Feltlike a drive in the country?"
"Went out to see Mum and Dad. They're still stuck in the house, and I tookthem some supplies."
Noi had driven, fast and confident, the M5 wide enough thateven the occasional abandoned wreck was easily avoided. They'd stood tins and bags of rice on thefront path of Madeleine's home, and hosed them off in case they'd brought anydust with them. Then they'd hosed thehouse, trying to get places the recent rain would have missed.
"How dusty is it out there now? Are they going to make a dash inland?"
"The cobwebs under the eaves were tinged purple. And you can see occasional flecks of sparklein the grass. The i
"Well, I didn't really buy it with babies inmind." He chuckled. "Who are 'we'?"
Madeleine apologetically explained his extra houseguests. "We were just off toBondi," she added, mouthing 'Tyler' at Noi as she stuck a puzzled headaround the door. "But that can waittill I collect you."
"No, I found a car. I'll head home tonight after taking a friend to check his family. Why in the world are you going to thebeach?"
"For some Blue powers tests. We're trying to work out exactly what Bluescan do so we can avoid doing it accidentally. We've ended up with a lot more people going than I expected, but I guessit is kind of a critical thing to know."
Tyler didn't respond, and she said his name, wondering ifthey'd been cut off.
"I'm here. I–" He paused, a completely uncharacteristichesitation. "I can't do that, youknow. Force punches. I don't seem to create energy, but I need it. I'm lucky I made a couple of good friends outhere – they keep me on my feet."
"You needit?"
"Mm. Let's justsay I was playing quite the wrong character on Blood Mirror."
"Seriously?"
"Giant dust-spewing towers, and you balk at some mildvampiric tendencies?"
"I...guess not. That explains some of the stories going around, at least."
When Tyler rang off, Madeleine grimaced apologetically atNoi, but only said that Tyler would be in that night, since she wanted moretime to think over 'mild vampiric tendencies'. Grabbing the bag containing a portion of the lunch they'd packed, sheheaded down to the garage.
The Blues test session had spiralled into an event. Fisher's discussion on BlueGreenof Madeleine's experiences, and his plan to test and compare a range ofBlues with different levels of stain, had swiftly been picked up by other Bluesaround the world, and multiple groups had organised to do the same thing – acouple of test sessions were already underway, and others were waiting for daywherever they were.
When the number of people wanting to join the Sydney test hadrisen to more than a hundred, Fisher had asked Madeleine, Noi and Emily to headto the beach a couple of hours early, to get Madeleine's testing out of the waybefore too many people were around. At alittle after seven in the morning it was chill with a hint of mist above the water,but the sky was a pale blue wash which promised a day worth being outside.
The apple-green Volkswagen was waiting by a white hatchbackas near as possible to the centre of the massive arc of beach, six boys leaningon the railing above the esplanade. Noipulled Tyler's red convertible sports car in beside the hatchback, and gri
"That's it, I'm riding back with Noi," Pansaid. "I can't take this anylonger."
"We've collected about a dozen sets of keys," Noitold him. "Come back after and youcan pick one out. I'll throw in a coupleof boats."
"You're on!"
"This is Nick, and Shaun," Gavin said, noddingfirst at a freckled blonde boy and then a dark-ski