Compliance (24 page)

I’m trying to pay attention. I’m genuinely curious to know how Mendell will explain the wall that’s kept secret from most residents, but I’m distracted, anxious for the end of the day.

After I talk to Burn and rescue Tobin, I need to attend the rebel meeting and talk them out of bombing the Hub. The President’s Birthday is the day after tomorrow. Complicating matters, Zina’s still out there and might be trying to kill me. With all that going on, how can I be expected to pay attention in class?

“Does anyone have any ideas?” Mr. Mendell asks.

His communicator beeps and he puts his hand to his ear. “Glory Solis.”

“Yes, sir?”

“You have a visitor,” he says. “Main desk.”

I rub my palms on my legs as I head toward the classroom’s door. Everyone stares. The last one called out of class was Cal. Being called out of class usually means bad news, but as I close the door, I realize my visitor must be Mrs. Kalin. Maybe she has news about Scout.

I rush down to the front desk, and my feet skid on the floor when I see who’s there: Jayma’s dad.

He steps toward me, the color drained from his face. “Glory, I need your help.”

“Anything.” My heart thuds.

He glances around. “Where can we talk?” The purple circles under his eyes are darker.

I step farther from the desk and into the corner of the room that’s hidden from the one working surveillance camera in the room. “We’re fine here,” I say. “But keep your voice down.”

“Jayma’s worse.” He shakes his head. “She was better after you visited and even went to work yesterday, but she lost concentration, forgot to lock her sorting bin, and caused an accident.”

I grab his arm. “Is she okay?”

“One of her co-workers pushed her out of the way of the falling scrap metal, but she’s had a negative review posted to
her HR file. Audit is investigating and says she’s never going back to work again.”

“I’ll come by tonight and visit. But it’ll be late.” I’ll visit her after my other tasks. So much for sleep.

“It’s beyond that.” He looks around. “Given all the terrorist activity lately, they’re investigating her for sabotage. They made her audit a priority.”

My veins turn to ice. “Jayma? That’s crazy.”

Worry furrows his brow. “Even if the auditors conclude it was an accident, she’ll have a black mark against her in her file that will affect her for life.” He slumps against the wall. “And that’s not the worst. The Comps can’t see her like this. They’ll put her in the Hospital.” He closes his eyes. “I can’t lose another child like that.”

My guts constrict. “Where is she?”

“Hiding in the north factory district in an alley near the building where I work. She’s behind some chemical waste storage bins in NS27—assuming they haven’t found her already.” His hand shakes as he reaches forward to grab my arm. “Help her. Please.”

“Don’t worry.” I hug Jayma’s dad, trying not to show my fear. “I’ll do everything I can.”

After eating a few bites of food and tucking the rest into a scrap of cloth, I sneak out of the barracks to find Jayma while the sun light is still on. The COT group is spread between the study room and the rec room, and I’m hoping no one misses me other than Cal. I told him I was meeting with Mr. Belando—lies piled upon lies upon lies,
but if I’d told Cal the truth he’d have insisted on coming.

At least Jayma is easy to find. I discover her huddled right where her father hid her, and she comes with me without question. But as we travel, her pace consistently slows. If she doesn’t pick it up, we’ll be caught.

At the end of a rope bridge slung between two buildings, I turn back to face her. “You need to move faster.”

She looks up through streaming tears. “Leave me. I just want to die.”

My stomach tightens. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” She grasps the rope strung along the bridge’s edge and looks down. The bridge sways.

I dash back and grab her arm. Fighting the urge to wipe her wet cheeks and hug her, I force a stern look on my face. “You’re putting both of us in danger. Is that what you want? For both of us to fall off this bridge or be arrested and exed?”

She shakes her head.

“Then wipe your face.” I hide my fear and keep my voice stern. “You can’t see through those tears. You’ll trip or cause another accident.”

She winces.

I pull her in tight. “I’m sorry.” Mentioning the accident she caused was mean. “But we need to move quickly and find you a place to hide.”

We’re near the Exec Building and only a few blocks from the Comp barracks. The sun light is dimming, and if I don’t get back soon, I’ll be missed. I’m not sure what I was thinking in leading her this way except that, with
everything I’ve got to do tonight, I want her close by. Plus, I know that there are no functioning cameras on the Exec Building’s roof, and I might be able to find a way into that big metal container.

As soon as I get her hidden, I’ll head to that fabric storage room where I last saw Burn. He said he’d check back for me and I hope he meant it, but I won’t take Jayma there until I’m certain it’s safe. Besides, she’ll panic when she sees him. I’m not ready to face that.

“Jump on my back.” I turn away from her. “I’ll carry you.”

“No.” Her voice hitches. “I’m sorry. I’ll move faster. I don’t care what happens to me, but I won’t let you get in trouble.”

I simultaneously want to hug her for cooperating and shake her for saying she doesn’t care about herself, but at least she’s agreed to get moving. I take advantage and race across the remainder of the bridge, grateful when she matches my pace.

At the end of the bridge, I climb up a ladder and roll over the building’s lip onto the roof. Jayma follows and I reach back to help her stand.

“Halt,” a loud male voice reverberates off the sky above us, and I spin, ready to fight.

It’s a Comp in full-armored uniform, his Shocker at the ready. A physical battle is futile. So is running.

I raise my hands to show I’m no threat.

“This is a restricted area,” he says from behind his mask. “What are you doing up here?”

I step forward slowly. “I’m in the Comp training program.
Are you sure this roof is restricted? I thought it was cleared for our exercise.” I shake my head as if frustrated. “I knew I took a wrong turn a couple of buildings back.” I pull up my sleeve, so that if he shines his ultraviolet light he’ll be able to see my mark that brands me as part of COT.

But he doesn’t pull out his light, and when I get within four feet of him I plead, “I’m on a training exercise. I was supposed to get this Civie volunteer across the city and to the barracks without getting spotted. I’m so close. I need to get back before dinner or I fail. Can you give me a break?”

“You’re too small to be in COT.”

He lifts his visor. Lines furrow his forehead. “My sister wanted to be a Comp. They wouldn’t even let her into the Entrance Trials. Said she was too small. She’s bigger than you.”

“I’m super lucky because Mr. Belando, the SVP of Compliance?”—I continue after he nods—“He took a special interest in me. He really wants me to graduate to prove his decision wasn’t a mistake, and if I fail this exercise…”

The Comp’s Shocker lowers slightly.

I take another step forward and whisper, “Between you and me? The last time a recruit beat me in a combat bout, Mr. Belando kicked him out of the program for cheating.” I lower my voice further. “The kid didn’t cheat.”

The Comp shifts his head back, as if physically absorbing the information. “You mean Belando will blame
me
if I turn you in? Write a bad evaluation for my HR file?”

I shrug as if I’m wishing he wouldn’t, but it’s out of my hands.

Worry builds in the Comp’s eyes, and he lowers his gun and cocks his head to the side. “Go then. Quickly. There’s a ladder on the other side of this roof. It leads to a bridge that ends up near the back door of the barracks. No one’s supposed to know about it”—he narrows his eyes—“so don’t tell your friends. When I was in training, some of the boys used it to sneak out that way to see their dating partners at night.”

I know exactly which bridge he means and I’m sure half our class knows about it. “Thanks. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” I reach back for Jayma but she’s crumpled down into a ball on the roof. I roll my eyes toward the Comp and mutter, “Civies.” Then I pull her up by her shoulders and whisper, “Come on. Let’s go.”

She slumps along behind me, trying to run, but it’s like her legs are weighted down with heavy chains. When we get to the ladder, I look back and the Comp waves.

We get onto the narrow bridge that leads to the fourth floor of the Comp barracks, and halfway across I stop to let Jayma catch up. I point to a landing jutting out from the adjacent building, about fifteen feet below us and at least ten feet to the right. It’s a risk to jump to, but I can’t take her into the Comp barracks. “See that landing?”

“Uh huh.” Her voice is thin and pale.

“Can you make it?” I know normal-Jayma could, but I’m less sure about depressed-and-possibly-suicidal Jayma. She likely hasn’t eaten since Scout’s accident.

She nods, but there’s fear in her eyes. I decide that’s a good sign. If she’s scared, then maybe she’s not planning to jump to her death.

“I’ll go first.” I stare down at the platform. I’ve gone this route before without trouble. The platform is five feet long and about four feet deep. It’s metal, but not too slippery, and while there are spots of rust, it easily held me the last time I jumped. Its lack of a railing makes aiming easier, but staying on harder. Nothing’s perfect.

I flex my legs on the bridge and then power out, stretching my body, using every muscle to propel myself forward. The wall behind the platform rushes toward me and I realize mid-air that I over-shot the jump.

My hands slam into the concrete wall, arms absorbing the force, and I drop down the last five or so feet to the platform. My palms sting and a pounding pain radiates from my wrists, but I’ve made it. And Jayma will see that my jump was overkill. Hopefully, that’ll give her confidence.

Standing across from and above me, she spins to the side as if she heard something and then flings herself off the bridge and down toward me. I slide into the far side to give her more room, and she lands on the lip of the platform. Unable to catch her balance, she sways back. I dive down, my knees land on the platform, and I grab her legs.

But I’m too late. Gravity pulls her back, and my hold low on her legs doesn’t help—she’s tipping back—so I let one leg go and she lets it fly back as counterbalance. Bending at the waist, she reaches for me.

Terror flies from her eyes. She’s doubled over, one foot
still on the platform, the other dangling back. On my knees, I clutch her arm with one hand and the calf of her leg with my other. My knees slide forward across the metal platform.

We’re going to slide off.

I stretch a leg back and fumble with the toe of my boot, searching for one of the rusty holes near the wall. My toe catches and I pull Jayma forward. Her elbows land on the platform, but both legs drop off. I grab under her arms and pull while she shifts and twists her body to help.

I feel the shift of her weight coming onto the platform. We’ve beat gravity, but I refuse to let go. I wrap my arms around her thin torso and pull her fully onto the platform, falling down beside her. Panting, we cling to each other. I want to look into her eyes, to reassure her, or maybe myself, but the backs of my eyes sting, and it nearly kills me that I can’t risk looking into my best friend’s eyes when I’m so full of emotions.

“Thank you,” she whispers and we lie there, regaining our breath and composure.

“Guess you didn’t want to die after all.” I pull myself up to sit.

She rolls onto her back and bends her knees. “Guess not.”

I stand and offer my hand. “Come on. There’s a rope around the corner. It’s not easy to get to, but from there we can climb to the top of this building.” If that metal box isn’t empty, I’ll hide her in the shadows behind it for now.

She lets me pull her up. “What building are we climbing onto?”

“The Exec Building.”

She steps back. “It’s too dangerous.”

“It’ll be fine. Trust me.” She might be right, but I won’t admit it.

Jayma nods and follows me as I carefully move from one window ledge to the next until we’re around the corner and within reach of the rope.

A
FTER LEAVING
J
AYMA
, I check the fabric storage room for Burn, but he’s not there, so I decide to go after Tobin. Cal must be wondering where I am, and if I don’t get back before lights out, everyone will know I’m missing. But if Tobin’s hiding place is sound, maybe I can hide Jayma there too.

Reaching the top of a rope, I peek over the edge of the building that Kara named in her note. This can’t be right. The sky’s so close to the roof that I can’t press up with my arms to get onto its surface without smashing my head. Instead, I swing one foot up, hook it over, and roll onto the roof.

Grime instantly coats my hands and clothes, and I’m not sure how I’ll explain the dirt. Right now that’s the least of my worries. The air chokes me and I pull the neck of my t-shirt up and over my mouth as a makeshift filter. But I can’t hold it in place as I crawl over the roof on my hands and knees,
and even down so low my back strikes a low hanging beam in the dark. Giving up on crawling, I press my belly down and slither.

Shining my torch around, I’m glad that I cranked it to its maximum charge before getting off that rope. Without the light, I’m not certain I’d see anything in the disorienting blackness.

The light beam strikes an old ventilation unit in the sky above, but the blades of its fan are so thickly covered with oily grime that it’s hard to imagine the last time it spun. No wonder the air’s so bad up here. The vents are broken. I’d guess it’s been decades since any fresh air has moved across this space, and the worst of the industrial smoke that escapes from leaks around factory stacks has gathered here, building up thick, black residue caked with ash, like a lake of oily sludge.

“Hello,” I call out. “Is anyone up here? Tobin? I know your dad. Kara told me where to find you. It’s safe. Don’t worry.” My gut says that Kara wouldn’t have sent me up here as some kind of cruel prank, but even if Tobin was once here, there’s no guarantee he is now.