Outside In (23 page)

“Can you repeat that last part?” I asked.

“Later,” Riley said. “We need to leave before the rest of the Outsiders come to investigate.”

We made it through the hatch. Bubba Boom waited nearby with his blow torch. His face was peppered with cuts and a cracked helmet rested by his feet.

“Disk deflected off my helmet,” Bubba Boom explained. “I passed out from lack of oxygen. I woke when there was enough air, but decided to stay down until the odds looked a little better.”

As Bubba Boom sealed the hatch, we removed our suits. Riley helped me with mine.

He inspected the cut on my shoulder. “I see bone. Do you know where your mother is?”

“On the other ship.”

We all glanced at the bay door. Two possibilities waited on the other side. One—Outsiders controlled the ship. Two— Hank and his people had managed to free our Insiders.

Logan examined the panel next to the door. “When should I open it?”

Riley handed me a gun he had taken from the fallen Outsiders and then armed himself with two. I held the unfamiliar weapon in my left hand. Sloan also held one and his wrench rested on his shoulder. Bubba Boom finished sealing the hatch and joined us. Riley gave him one of his guns, then pulled his knife from his belt.

“On three,” Riley said. “One.”

Logan pressed a few keys.

“Two,” Sloan said.

More beeps followed. Logan’s hand hovered above the glowing red button.

“Two and a half,” Bubba Boom said.

A nervous chuckle rolled through us.

“Three,” I said.

LOGAN PUNCHED THE BUTTON. THE DOOR SLID OPEN.
Chaos greeted us. We clutched our weapons and peered into the crowd of screaming people. I searched for Outsiders, but only Insiders poured from the hatch of the ship.

My brain finally sorted through the overwhelming scene. The screams were happy cries and the Insiders were hugging and celebrating. I spotted Hank leaning against a far wall. We crossed to him, dodging a few overly excited people.

“Looks like my idea to widen the lift worked,” I said to him.

“Your idea was crap, Trella,” he said. “I could only send up a few people at a time.”

“How did you take out the guards?”

“I didn’t.” He gestured to the Insiders. “They did it before we reached them.”

“How?”

Riley clapped me on my good shoulder. “You taught them how to stand up for themselves.”

“I don’t think so,” Hank said. He poked a finger toward one woman, standing off to the side by herself. “Rumor has it the Doctor knocked out all the Outsiders inside the ship, then rallied and organized everyone else to attack the guards in the bay. The Outsiders didn’t stand a chance.” He glared at me, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Now I know who
you
inherited your pain in the assness from.”

I smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Riley and Logan accompanied me as I went to congratulate my mother. Sloan went searching for Jacy and Bubba Boom stayed with Hank.

My mother’s eyes lit up when she spotted us. She wrapped her arms around me, but pulled back when I hissed in pain. Then there was no talking to her as she transformed into doctor mode, tsking over the deep cut and insisting on getting me to the infirmary without delay.

Wishing to remain and find out more details, I grumped at her. “I’d rather have you mother me.”

“Then you’re in luck since I can do both. Get moving or I’ll make you stay in the infirmary long after you’re recovered.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The cleanup took longer this time than when the Force of Sheep had won. Even though the Insiders had all rallied against the Outsiders, resentment still lingered between them. A few of us—me, Hank, Emek, Jacy and Domotor—sat together and decided how to proceed. Yes, we included Hank. He always wanted the best for Inside and he had good insights into what changes the people craved after the Pop Cops were gone.

We kept the family names and soon everyone Inside had a family. Then we asked everyone to sign up for a job. Except this time, there wouldn’t be scrubs cleaning and uppers working the controls. If a person wished to work in the air plant, he would learn
every
aspect of the plant and his job would rotate from computer controller to changing filters to hauling cleaning trolls around from shaft to shaft then back to being a controller.

For the jobs no one wanted—like cleaning out the waste pipes—every single person of Inside would take a four-hour shift, which, when you considered we had a population of 22,500 and some, that meant I would have to do my four hours every nine hundred weeks. Doable.

Levels five to ten would be completed first and then everyone would be able to move out of the barracks at the same time.

As for the Outsiders, they would be invited to join us, to choose jobs and vote. For those who declined our offer, they would be given a room in the brig. We realized the danger in letting someone like Ponife have freedom in our world, but agreed not to limit or incarcerate someone with a difference in opinion. Actions and not words would land an Insider in trouble. Jacy volunteered to head the ISF for now.

Soon after I had recovered, I joined Logan, Riley, Bubba Boom, Hank and a handful of others in saying goodbye to Anne-Jade. We lined the hallway up to Chomper’s lair and paid tribute to a hero. Logan wished for her to be recycled and not sent out into Outer Space.

“She will always be with us,” he said.

By week 147,033, we had completed the work schedule for everyone and repaired all the damage to the machinery and computer. At hour zero of week 147,034 we held elections for Admiral, Vice Admiral, Captain and for the Commander of the ISF. Logan had rigged Video Cameras with sound so every Insider could hear the candidates’ plans for our future. I had campaigned for either one of the Admiral positions. The other Admiral candidates were Domotor, Riley’s father Jacob, Emek and Takia. Logan, James Trava and Bubba Boom ran for the Captain’s position. Jacy and Sloan campaigned for Commander.

Riley brought the early election results to me at hour twenty. They would be announced to everyone at hour twenty-five. I was helping Lamont in the infirmary, but he wanted to tell me them in private. We retreated to my room and he closed the door.

He sat on the edge of my bed with me. Impish delight lit his blue eyes. “Remember your promise?”

I pretended to be confused. “Which one? I just promised everyone to keep our world safe and sane. Did they vote for me?”

“I’ll tell you
after
you keep your promise to me.”

“Well…” I tapped my lips with a finger as if I considered his words. “I could just wait five hours—”

He cut me off with a deep passionate kiss.

When he broke it off, I said, “Waiting really isn’t my thing.” And I drew him close for another kiss.

Before we could go any further, Riley pulled away. “I have something for you.” He stood on the bed and opened the air vent. Reaching in, he grunted and pulled out a small cleaning troll.

“Zippy?” I asked.

“Yep. Logan fixed him.” Riley set Zippy in my lap then took both my hands in his. “You made a commitment to the people of Inside and I’m proud of you.”

I sensed he had more to say so I kept quiet.

He squeezed my hands as if suddenly nervous. Then he took a breath and said, “I’d like you to make a commitment to me as well. Will you be my mate?”

Before the Outsiders came, I would have been too scared to say yes. Good thing this was after. “Yes.”

It was too awkward to kiss with Zippy in my lap, but Riley stopped me from moving him.

“Open Zippy,” he said.

“He opens?”

Riley pointed to a button on the top. I pressed it and a panel opened. Tucked inside Zippy was Sheepy. With a cry of delight, I pulled the little stuffed sheep out. Tied around his neck was a pendant. It was the symbol for Inside—a square with a capital I in the middle, but on the opposite side was a sheep.

“Does it—”

“Yes. If you push on the sheep, it will send out a distress signal.”

“I hope I won’t have to use it.”

“I’m sure Jacy will make certain that Emek and you are properly guarded, but, knowing you and considering you’ll have to work with Captain James, I won’t be surprised if you get into trouble.”

“Jacy? Me and Emek? What are you talking about?”

“Sorry, I can’t divulge election results until hour twenty-five.” He smirked.

I considered. “Was I voted Admiral or Vice Admiral?”

“Does it matter?”

The Vice Admiral’s position had a little less stress, but otherwise… “No.”

“Good, because right now you should concentrate on fulfilling your promise to your mate.”

I added the new pendant to my other one. “Are we official now?”

Riley put Zippy and Sheepy on the floor then pushed me back onto the bed as he lay beside me. “Yes. It’s official. And since I’m one of the good guys, I can have whatever I desire.”

“And what do you desire?”

“To have my way with you.”

And he did. Except I think I had my way with him. Either way we were together and that was all that mattered.