Outside In (18 page)

Hank seemed happy with my confession and left, but Ponife remained. My terror doubled. He popped his helmet off. Terror tripled. Ponife knelt next to me. Terror headed off the scale.

“Do not…fear,” he said, panting with the effort. “Your air is…thick. We will not harm…world. We desire…to reclaim what is ours.”

“What is yours?” I asked.

“This ship.”

That was the last thing I expected. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Your…ancestors stole it. Exiled us.”

I noted his use of the word
exile
. Of course, it could have a wide range or meanings. “How do you know? As you said, our air is thicker than yours.”

“We have…records. We had to…ration air so long…we are used to it. The air mixture is easy to alter. We’ll find a…common setting. Good for all.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“You are leader,” Ponife said.

I touched the collar. “Not a good one.”

“Work with us. You will have…chance to repair damage.”

I doubted it would be that easy. “Why did they exile you?”

His demeanor changed in an instant. Wrong question.

“Impertinent child.” Ponife twisted the X.

When I came to my senses, Ponife was gone. In his place was a tray of food and a glass of water. My throat burned so I gulped down the water. Then I attacked the food. Only after I had consumed most of it did I consider the danger. I shrugged. They didn’t need poison or drugs. A couple more sessions with the collar and I would do anything for them.

I considered Ponife’s comments, trying to list reasons for banishing a person. It would also depend if the Insiders at the time knew about the extra space or not. We hadn’t recycled the Travas, but if we didn’t know about the Expanse I was sure we’d have had to in order to make room for all of us. Maybe instead of recycling the trouble makers, our ancestors put them into a Bubble Monster and sent them on their way. Was that better or worse than being recycled? Given the choice, I would rather take my chances in Outer Space in a Bubble than be Chomper’s dinner.

Eventually, I fell into an exhausted sleep.

A rasping sound woke me. Disorientated, I blinked in the daylights as the shushing grew louder. Deep down, I recognized the noise, but my brain hadn’t quite connected it.

After a few more seconds, I jumped to my feet. Climbing up to the air vent, I peered inside. Zippy had come!

I rattled the bars over the vent, but they wouldn’t budge. Riley would guess I was stuck. Otherwise, I would have escaped by now. I searched with my fingers and found a cloth bag tied to Zippy. Good boy.

Pulling the bag through the bars, I carried my treasure back to the mat. Funny how the smallest things became so important when you’ve been reduced to utter helplessness.

I upended the bag. A microphone and receiver tumbled out along with a diamond wire. Inserting the receiver in my earlobe, I turned on the mic.

“Anyone listening?” I asked, trying not to sound pathetic, but strain shook my words, giving me away.

“Trella!” Riley’s relieved voice reached me.

I collapsed back onto the mat. This was the first thing to go my way in a long time.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Worried about Hank detecting the transmission, I explained about the new control room and the Outsiders as fast as I could.

After I finished, Riley asked me a few questions. Then he said, “Get out of there, and meet me at—”

“I can’t. They have a…tracer on me.”

“Can you cut it out? I could send a scalpel.”

“No. It’s around my neck.” I gave him a basic rundown on all the wonders of the command collar.

He responded with an extended period of silence.

Unable to endure another minute, I said, “Don’t be upset. I tried to run away, but Hank—”

“Trell, I’m not mad—well, not at you. I’m going to throttle both Hank and Bubba Boom and feed them to Chomper myself.” He paused. “I’m thinking of a way for you to escape. You could use Zippy’s short range EMP to disable it.”

“I thought that only worked on weapons.”

“Logan had to limit what the pulse could affect because of all the sensitive equipment and computers back when you ambushed the main Control Room. But you’re far away from anything vital right now. Actually, if Zippy was stronger and if we had our network in place, he could have taken out Hank’s new control room.”

“How do I switch him over?” I asked.

Riley told me how to remove the safety filter.

“How can I tell if it works on the collar?”

“You escape, hide and wait. If it’s operating, they’ll find you pretty quick. But the pulse will ruin your microphone and receiver. If they don’t come after you, meet me in our storeroom.”

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the help.” Before Riley could switch off, I said, “If this doesn’t work, I just want to tell you that…” I closed my eyes. Why was this so hard? “That…I was an idiot to keep my distance from you. That I didn’t realize how much I love you until I lost you.”

“You’ll get free, Trella.” Riley’s voice sounded tight. “You’ve survived worse than this. And this time you have more motivation.”

“More motivation?”

“Yes. I’m not going to respond to your comment through a microphone. You’ll have to hear it from me in person.”

After Riley clicked off, I used the diamond wire to saw through the bars over the air vent. I hoped Ponife didn’t check my vitals because my accelerated heart rate would alert him. Once I had enough space to wiggle through, I pulled Zippy from the shaft and removed the safety filter.

With nothing else to lose, I flipped the switch on Zippy. My receiver whined and popped, but the little cleaning troll remained silent. Logan had given Zippy a special protective coat so his inner electronics weren’t zapped as well. I shoved the cleaning troll back into the duct, and climbed in after him.

In case Zippy’s pulse hadn’t disabled my collar, I didn’t want to hide in any of my favorite spots. Instead, I worked my way up to the top of level ten, which was the bottom of the Expanse. Finding a space between two storage containers, I settled in to wait.

At first, every single noise jolted me. Eventually, I grew used to the sounds of the Expanse looming over me. After I felt like enough time had passed—if my collar worked, they would have found me by now—I descended to level four and headed toward our storeroom.

The glow of bluelights shone through the vent, indicating no one was in the room. Disappointed, I aimed my feet at the ladder and climbed down. The clock on the wall read hour forty-seven. I sank onto the couch. Thirty-nine hours had passed since I left the infirmary with Bubba Boom.

The horror, pain and fear had taken a toll on me. My head throbbed from the thin air. Exhausted, I curled up on the couch with Zippy, but I wished for Riley and Sheepy.

Chaotic dreams swirled. Outsiders chased me. Daylight reflected off their silver helmets, blinding me. Then a wall of people blocked my escape route. Jacy led the group and I ran to him. Instead of protecting me, he grabbed my arm and dragged me back toward the Outsiders. He handed me over to Ponife in exchange for the metal X. As Jacy laughed and turned away, Ponife’s white gloves stroked my skin.

I woke with a cry and with cold hands on my shoulders. My nightmare had turned into reality. I was caught.

FLAILING AND KICKING THE OUTSIDER, I FOUGHT WITH
all my strength. I would rather be sent to Chomper than be under Ponife’s control again.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize he wasn’t fighting back. And finally, his soothing tone and caring words reached me. I stopped struggling and embraced Riley.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. He sat on the edge of the couch. “I just couldn’t wait until you woke up.”

“Not your fault, I was having a nightmare,” I said, clinging to him, soaking in his warmth and enjoying the feel of his arms around me.

After a few minutes, Riley pulled back to look at me. A smile quirked and he smoothed a few strands of my hair from my face. My braid had fallen out hours ago and I was sure rats would have no trouble making a nest in my hair.

“How did you cut the collar off?” he asked.

“I didn’t.” Confused, I touched my throat. The collar remained in place. My fingernails clinked on its hard surface.

Riley squinted. He ran his fingers along my neck. When he found the collar he explored the surface and tried to tug it. “No seams. It doesn’t feel like metal. The color is amazing.”

“Why?”

“It blends in. It matches your skin. Didn’t you know?”

“No mirrors in my cell.”

He gasped with mock horror. “So cruel! How did you ever survive?”

I laughed and it felt good. It had been such a long time since a happy feeling has touched me that I wanted to prolong it. I cut off whatever Riley planned to say next by drawing him in for a long kiss that left us both breathless. Deciding that conversation was overrated, I claimed his lips again and yanked him down so he lay next to me on the couch.

My fingers unbuttoned his shirt, I snaked my hands along his chest and around to his back. I would have ripped it off, but he pulled away.

“As much as I would love to continue,” he panted, “we don’t have any time to spare.”

“We might not get another chance,” I said.

“If we don’t get moving, we’re guaranteed not to get any more chances.”

“That bad?”

“Yep. We need weeks to finish installing a second network. Which we won’t get now that the Outsiders are already inside. We’re hoping your and Logan’s idea has a quicker turnaround time?”

“I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask Logan.”

“We’ll need to regain control of the air plant first,” Riley said. “Without that, we’re sunk.”

“I’ll get Logan and take him up to the top of the Expanse.”

“The top?”

Describing level eighteen to Riley, I filled him in.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I really don’t know. Just after I discovered it all this trouble started between us. At the time, I felt overwhelmed, scared and uncertain. Almost like I do now except for the uncertain part.” To prove my point, I kissed him again, letting my hands slide all the way down his back.

Riley sat up and grabbed my wrists. “Your timing sucks. You know that, don’t you?”

“I hate to waste this opportunity.”

“We’ll get another one. I promise.”

“You can’t promise. Not this time. I’ve seen the Outsiders. I’ve been…” I closed my eyes as memories of pain rolled through me.

Riley cupped my face with his hands, getting my attention. “Sounds like the Outsiders are too hard to beat. You can’t fight them. So you can stay here while Jacy, Logan, Anne-Jade and I make a token attempt to thwart them.”

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Me?” He tried to appear innocent.

“You’re telling me I can’t fight so I’ll get angry and prove you wrong.”

“Did it work?” he asked.

I huffed with amusement. “A little.”

“How about if I add on guilt? Reminding you that Sheepy wouldn’t be happy if the Outsiders replaced the Pop Cops and his rebellion was all for nothing.”

Guilt was a factor. Not for Sheepy, but over Cogon. He would hate this. I’d like to turn back the clock and start again from when we beat the Travas. That was impossible, but I remembered a phrase that kept me focused during the bad times. Maximum damage. This time I would impart maxi mum damage for Cogon.

“I can see that little evil gleam in your eyes. You’re back!” he said.

Riley’s broad smile shot through me and I couldn’t resist kissing him again. But this time, I pulled away so we could discuss plans.

“Did you have time to make that pulley system?” I asked him.

“One of Jacy’s men put it together.” He reached under the couch and pulled it out. “We didn’t know how thick the rope would be, so we guessed, erring on a bigger size.”

I spun the wheels, examining the device. “What’s this lever?”

“The brakes in case you accidently let go. We don’t want Logan smashed flat.”

“Good idea.”

When we finished coordinating our plans, Riley rummaged through the drawers of the desk, returning with a small pair of bolt cutters and a jar.

He tossed the jar to me. “Sheep oil.”

I peered at it in suspicion. “Did you have this before?” Riley had cut off a metal cuff from my wrist during our Force of Sheep rebellion, but he had claimed not to have the oil which was supposed to help with the pain.

“I can’t recall.” He batted his dark eyelashes at me.

“Look who has the evil gleam now.” I grumbled as I spread the oil around my neck, trying to get it under the control collar. “Okay.”

Riley thought the back of my neck would be the best place to cut it off. I held my hair up. The cold touch of the metal sent shivers down my spine. At first, I didn’t feel anything, but when he grunted with effort, a sharp pain stabbed into my throat. I cried out and he stopped.

“What’s the matter? I didn’t pinch your skin.”

“It hurt.”

“It doesn’t look like I even dented the damn thing,” he said. “I’m going to need bigger cutters.”

A sudden and very unpleasant thought occurred to me. “Could it still be active?”

Riley examined Zippy. “He’s working fine. Do you have the receiver and microphone I sent?”

I pulled them from my pocket and also removed my sheep pendant. He took all the devices over to his desk. I peered over his shoulder as he tested each one.

“They’re all broken.” He then put the tester’s two prongs on my collar as he stared at the display. “No reading either. It’s busted.”

Relief surged through me.

“I’ll have to have Logan help me make another pendant for you.” Riley swept the items into the recycle bin.

I retrieved the pendant.

“But it can’t send a signal anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s still precious to me.” I looped it around my neck then tried to distract Riley with a passionate goodbye kiss, but he wouldn’t let me procrastinate anymore.

Since we really couldn’t delay any longer, I climbed the ladder with reluctance and entered the air ducts again.

The trip to Logan’s room didn’t take long. When I arrived, I peered down to check for his keepers. At first the significance of the mess below didn’t register in my mind. Logan was never tidy, but this seemed extreme even for him.

The couch had been turned on its side. Computer parts and metallic gadgets littered the floor. The white stuffing from the ruined cushions had settled over everything like a coating of dust.

But no sign of Logan.

Logan was gone. After the shock wore off, I considered where he might be. If he had decided to “escape” from his room, Riley would have known about it because Logan would have sought him and Jacy out. But what if he couldn’t?

I glanced down at the door. No wires hung from the locks, which meant Logan hadn’t escaped. Anne-Jade could have opened it from the outside. Again, Riley would know unless she was unable to tell him. But why would the room be in such disarray?

The final and most likely scenario entailed Hank bringing Logan up to the brig on level five. It was a logical move. Logan’s knowledge and abilities made him a dangerous enemy. And from the mess, it appeared as if one of his keepers had discovered his stash of gadgets.

Just in case Anne-Jade knew where her brother had gone, I searched for her on level four. She was slumped in her chair in the ISF office in Quad A4, staring at nothing that I could see. No one else worked at the other desks. An odd silence filled the room.

Not wanting to scare her, I called her name before jumping down from the vent. Anne-Jade waved me over halfheartedly. Utter defeat looked at me through her eyes. I almost stepped back as my heart lurched in my chest.

“Did something happen to Logan?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

Unsure if I should be relieved or not, I asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“Come on, Trell. You don’t need me to explain it.”

“Did Hank take him?”

She straightened and for a brief second the old Anne-Jade frowned at me. “How did you know Hank’s involved?”

“He tried to recruit me to his cause.”

She slouched back. “You should have signed up. They’re in charge now, you’d have saved yourself a lot of trouble.” A wry smile twisted. “Sorry. I forgot who I was talking to. Trouble is exactly what you crave. I just want peace.”

Anger flared. I banged a fist on her desk. “I wanted peace, too. And you
know
what happened while I sat around mooning over our state of affairs. I don’t crave trouble. It’s just one of those unfortunate side effects when I finally decided to take action.” I leaned in close to her—almost nose to nose. “If Hank has Logan, then I know exactly where he’s being held. Are you going to sit around moping or are you going to help me?”

“It’s too late.”

“That’s such a load of crap. It’s never too late.”

A spark of ire flashed. “What more proof do you need? My brother’s dead body? Would that convince you it’s too late?”

“No. Not Logan’s. Not Riley’s. Not mine or yours. They haven’t won, Anne-Jade. They just think they did. Which gives us the advantage.”

She laughed. “You’re insane.”

“That’s certainly debatable. But give me another chance.”

“Another chance to do what?”

“Prove to you it isn’t too late.”

She snagged her lower lip with her teeth and chewed. “I don’t have any resources. They took everything.”

“Everything?”

She nodded.

“You mean you don’t have a few loyal lieutenants who would take a risk for you?”

“Well…”

I sensed a small victory. “And you didn’t keep a few weapons hidden away just in case?”

“I might have.”

“Might? When will you know?”

Anne-Jade huffed in annoyance. “All right. I’ll make you a deal. If you rescue Logan and get him to a safe location, I’ll help you.”

“I accept.” I shook her hand, sealing the deal.

I turned on my mic and hailed Riley, informing him of Logan’s disappearance and my plans to rescue him. He had given me another microphone and receiver. They worked on a specific frequency so it was very difficult for Hank and the Outsiders to pick it up.

“Do you have the diamond wire?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you need backup?” His voice held a nervous edge.

“I’ll take Zippy.”

“I’d be happier if you took a dozen armed men and women along.”

“And I’d be happier if the Outsiders decided to leave us alone.”

“Point. Be careful…please.”

“I will.”

The problem with using a diamond wire to aid in my escape became apparent right away. Wires ringed the bars covering the air vent to Logan’s cell. Wires that I assumed would set off a loud alarm if I sawed through them.

I hadn’t called attention to myself just in case Logan had company. It was interesting how fast my ability to crawl through the shafts without making noise had returned. Either that or just the amount of time I’d been spending traveling through them had sharpened my skills.

Logan sprawled on his back on the thin mat. His cell was a mirror image of mine. I called his name when I was certain he was alone. He jerked and scrambled to his feet.

“Trella, don’t touch the—”

“Bars, I know. I can see the wires.”

He slouched against the wall and rubbed his face. “I think I’m stuck for good this time,” he said in a tired voice.

He didn’t appear to be injured, but I knew what the Outsiders were capable of. “What happened?”

“My keepers made a surprise visit,” he said. “I didn’t have time to hide all my toys. They were strewn all over. I guess I shouldn’t have been so relaxed about them. Another mistake caused by overconfidence.”

“Another?”

He waved a hand. His right one still covered his eyes. “The whole Outsider fiasco could have been avoided.”

“How?”

“If I had kept track of all communications, I would have spotted Hank’s link to the Outsiders.”

“Why didn’t you?” I asked.

“Privacy. I didn’t want to spy on the Committee members or others.”

“Exactly, Logan. You didn’t want to be like the Travas and Pop Cops, monitoring all our activities. You’re not to blame.”

“I’m not helping, either,” he said. Clearly miserable, he massaged his temples.

“Did you meet the Outsiders?” I asked.

He straightened, dropping his hands. “They’re here?”

“Only a couple. I’ve met them both.”

“You? When?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you later. First, we need to bust you out of here.”

“How? The heating vent has the same trip wires. All you have to do is touch them and they’ll set off the alarm.”

“How?” I asked.

“There’s a weak electrical current going through the wires. If you touch it with your finger, you’ll block the current and that sets it off.” He began to pace. “But if you touch it with both hands, the current will travel through you and back to the wire. I could cut the bars… No. Won’t work. You’d be stuck holding the wires. No way for you to move once the bars and wires are cut. Unless we made a connection with a separate wire and some metal clamps, which we don’t have. Plus we would need one bypass for each bar, unless the wire is continuous.”

I traced the wire. It wrapped around all five bars before continuing down the air shaft.

“We still don’t have the clamps and wires,” Logan said when I described it to him.